Sociocultural Identities in Music Therapy.

• Author: Hadley, Susan.
• Place / Publishing House: Dallas, TX : : Barcelona Publishers,, 2021.; ©2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (321 pages)

Sociocultural Identities in Music Therapy is a collection of personal narratives by 18 music therapists who engage in a critical culturally reflexive process and explore implications for their therapeutic practice. Amongst the authors, there is gender diversity, diversity of sexualities, racial diversity, ethnic diversity, neurodiversity, geographical diversity, linguistic diversity, educational diversity, and more. Each person's intersectional identity positions them differently in terms of their sociocultural location and thus each has differing experiences of unearned advantages or disadvantages based purely on their membership in various sociocultural groups in unique combinations. As such, each person distinctively explores how they experience and are experienced in social contexts. Woven together, this book is a rich tapestry of the sociocultural identities of music therapists and implications for their therapeutic relationships and processes. It provides a deep understanding and appreciation of the concept of culture and its omnipresence in all we do and all we are. The hope is that these narratives, and the included strategies for doing this kind of critical culturally reflexive work, will guide music therapy students and practitioners to examine their own sociocultural location and experiences, and that it will open music therapists to consider their relational dynamics in all aspects of their lives.

Table of Contents

Cover Image -- Title Page -- Copyright &amp -- Permissions -- Dedication -- Acknowledgments -- Contributors -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- Conceptual Origins and Theoretical Framing -- Situating Myself: Embracing Complexities -- What Lies Ahead -- Chapter 1. Me: A Personal And Professional Necessity -- Location of Self -- Exploring Me Through a Culturally Sustaining Lens: -- A Whole Lot of Black Backs Made Bridges -- Embarking on an Intentional Practice of Critical Cultural Reflexivity -- If Not a Culturally Sustaining Practice, Then What? Implications -- Chapter 2. transfronterizx -- growing up in the borderlands -- music in the borderlands -- final thoughts -- Chapter 3. "What Are You?" Finding Connection As A Brown, Male Music Therapist -- Point of Entry -- Values, Identity, and Signature Theme -- A Brown, Male Music Therapist in an Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital -- Summary and Implications for Music Therapists -- Chapter 4. A Skeptic In The Land Of Music Therapy: Evaluating Evidence At The Beginnings Of Practice -- Ethnomusictherapist -- Only Americans Go to Therapy -- Telling Fortunes -- A Conversion Experience? -- The Maligned, Wonderful Placebo -- Chapter 5. Making A Detour: Paths For Diverse People To Live In Diverse Ways -- Introduction -- The Experiences Developing My Sociocultural Identities -- Examples of Work in Which I Have Engaged -- Ambiguous Ways to Communicate with People's Sociocultural Identities -- Implications of Self-Reflection -- Chapter 6. The Long Journey Toward Self-Acceptance: Living As A Queer Transgender Music Therapist -- Growing Up -- Values and Beliefs -- Stereotypes and Microaggressions -- Privilege -- Fear and Internalized Transphobia -- Theoretical Orientation -- Clinical Work and Self-Disclosure -- The Empowerment of Queer Youth -- Intersectionality.

Supporting Diversity Within the Music Therapy Field -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7. Caught Unaware: Honest Acknowledgments and Clinical Applications in an Ongoing Process: Kathryn Eberle Cotter -- On the Tracks -- My Identity Formation -- My Foundational Values -- Becoming Aware -- Resisting Defensiveness and Acknowledging Bias -- Learning and Unlearning -- Receiving and Witnessing Truth -- A Lifelong Endeavor -- In Conclusion -- Chapter 8. Comfortably "Unknowing": Maintaining Equilibrium as a Minority in a Minority Profession: Natasha Thomas -- Paddle Like Hell -- The Evolution of "Unknowing" -- Engaging with the Cultural "Unknown" -- "Unknowing" in Practice: Our Responsibility to Community -- The Risks and Possibilities of Getting Comfortable with Unknowing -- Chapter 9. Tabula Rasa = Tabú la Raza: My Not-So-Blank Slate: Sandra Ramos-Watt -- In Summary -- Chapter 10. Queering Karma and Cosmos: My Journey as an Indian American Music Therapist in the United States: Sangeeta Swamy -- Early Beginnings4 -- Music Therapy and Identity -- On Privilege -- Conclusion -- Chapter 11. "The Highest Good Is Like Water" 上善 水: The Music Runs Through It: Joyu Lee -- Tributaries of My Stream -- Like a Fish in Water -- A Brook with No Stream -- Swimming In and Out of Different Schools -- The River Running Through It -- Chapter 12. "El Closet es Para el Ropa...": Music Therapist, Coming "Aut": Jessica Leza -- Chapter 13. What Could I Do Better?: Failing Again and Again: Maevon Gumble -- Who Am I? -- Entering the Field of Music Therapy -- Questions for Ongoing Interrogation of Ethical Practice -- Questioning My Professional Work -- Conclusion -- Chapter 14. "On the Outside, Always Looking In": A Queer Black Man's Search for Acceptance: Freddy Perkins -- Apparent Incongruities -- Learning My Value and My Values -- My College Years -- Constant Code-Switching.

Signature Themes -- Integrating the Apparent Incongruities -- Just Being Me Is Enough -- Chapter 15. Always Evolving: Finding Fluidity in Fixed Narratives: Kristen McSorley -- Queering My Sense of Identity -- Considerations for Music Therapy -- Impacts of My Sociocultural Situatedness -- Conclusion -- Chapter 16. Unfinished Story: Ming Yuan Low -- Entering the Courageous Conversation -- The Perpetual Minority -- What's in a Name? -- Chinese Malaysian in the United States -- Conclusion -- Chapter 17. Themes and Variations: Annette Whitehead-Pleaux -- Chapter 18. Intersections and Intersectionality: Under Construction: Douglas R. Keith -- Afterword: Reflections and Strategies: Susan Hadley -- Strategies for Cultivating Sociocultural Reflexivity -- Final Reflections -- Footnotes.