Synthesis Sunday: Feminist Music Therapy and Community Music Therapy
My current music therapy reading is centered around different perspectives and ideas than I have ever encountered before. Isn't it interesting how you can think you are a well-rounded, informed, and sophisticated music therapist, and then, BAM, there is a book or a comment that just rips that idea all to shreds?
BAM!
I'm trying to figure out what I think about these new perspectives. Every time I delve into new theories, I have a period of time that I take to filter through ideas until things settle into my practice. There are things that I agree with and things that I do not agree with in all of my exploration through music therapy.
Lately, I am reading about feminist sociological theory and how it pertains to music therapy.
I haven't spent lots or loads of time thinking about the global feminist perspective. I don't identify myself as a "feminist" other than some vague ideas about equal pay for equal work, so my recent reading has been interesting and challenging to my ideas about music therapy.
Apparently, there is an entire field of sociology that centers on feminism, and there are also sociologists who study music from a feminist perspective as well. There are some people who feel that women cannot truly experience music written by men because of the gender divide. I'm not sure about that. There are people who state that you cannot separate the music from the social situations in which the music was created. I kind of agree with that statement. There are others who believe that social influences, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity of the listener filter the music and change the way that music is perceived. I agree with most of these ideas.
I'm not totally convinced that a feminist perspective on music and music therapy is what I will subscribe to, but there are ideas that I needed to hear and experience. That's what I love about Synthesis Sundays - opportunities to grow as a therapist and as a person.
Later today, I am diving into Community Music Therapy. From what I hear, this seems to be a theoretical format that is a bit more comfortable for me. We shall see!
Go out there and Synthesize something!
BAM!
I'm trying to figure out what I think about these new perspectives. Every time I delve into new theories, I have a period of time that I take to filter through ideas until things settle into my practice. There are things that I agree with and things that I do not agree with in all of my exploration through music therapy.
Lately, I am reading about feminist sociological theory and how it pertains to music therapy.
I haven't spent lots or loads of time thinking about the global feminist perspective. I don't identify myself as a "feminist" other than some vague ideas about equal pay for equal work, so my recent reading has been interesting and challenging to my ideas about music therapy.
Apparently, there is an entire field of sociology that centers on feminism, and there are also sociologists who study music from a feminist perspective as well. There are some people who feel that women cannot truly experience music written by men because of the gender divide. I'm not sure about that. There are people who state that you cannot separate the music from the social situations in which the music was created. I kind of agree with that statement. There are others who believe that social influences, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity of the listener filter the music and change the way that music is perceived. I agree with most of these ideas.
I'm not totally convinced that a feminist perspective on music and music therapy is what I will subscribe to, but there are ideas that I needed to hear and experience. That's what I love about Synthesis Sundays - opportunities to grow as a therapist and as a person.
Later today, I am diving into Community Music Therapy. From what I hear, this seems to be a theoretical format that is a bit more comfortable for me. We shall see!
Go out there and Synthesize something!
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