Share your thoughts with the board members on the role of music therapy in community based settings.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Tori Clark]

I have had very positive experiences with music therapy in community-based settings. My last job was school-based, and we (MTs), along with classroom teachers, made an effort to collaborate with community centers and regular education classrooms to provide opportunities for our special-needs students to develop relationships and practice social skills outside their primary setting. One of my groups was a middle school SPED class which we paired with seniors at a local community center. It was heartening to see young students and seniors receive each other warmly, and of course, music was such a great bridge for the age gap! By presenting music therapy in a community-based setting, as in that case, I was able to demonstrate my skills as a music therapist (advocacy for our profession) as well as demonstrate my clients’ abilities to function in the community (advocacy for my clients). Also, sharing music together has an inherent way of building community. It naturally draws people together, regardless of age, culture, etc. We really need more of that these days, especially our children.

[Victoria Fansler]

I believe music therapy is an integral resource in addressing individual and community needs, especially in community settings. Music therapists working in different communities than they live in (as I do) have a responsibility to communicate with community members who have first-hand understanding of strengths and needs in the area. We also have a responsibility to understand individual strengths and needs in context, taking into account systems of inequity or opportunity costs that affect each individual. We must set up our sessions to be as supportive, anti-oppressive, accessible, and inclusive as possible; in this way, we can combat communal and systemic challenges along with individual ones.

I appreciate Tori’s comments about her experiences using music as a tool to bring two otherwise-isolated groups together, promoting individual growth, interpersonal connections, and communal awareness all in the same program. I believe this confluence of objectives is a cornerstone of community music therapy — and even if we are not conducting sessions explicitly considered CoMT, these are goals that should always be part of our consideration.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your insights!

[Debrah Evans]

When I first started doing clinicals, I really questioned the role of music therapy in working with normally developing preschoolers and older adults. I didn’t understand how our role was different than that of a music teacher or activities therapist until much later in my clinical practice because the role of music that I had was almost prescribed. I was under the impression that to do music therapy, clients had to have a medical need (one that isn’t only for wellness), so that music could “fix” whatever problems they had. Due to the structure of our medical system, I had this misconceived notion that music therapy should be reserved for those who are sick or have a disability. A lot of this changed when I did my clinical at the place in which I now work full time.

In doing music groups with older adults, I realized the value of using music for overall wellness. Even if someone doesn’t “need” music, music in a therapeutic setting is extremely valuable. Because of the universal nature of music as a human trait, it has the ability to connect people and motivate them to grow. In the same manner that individuals use music to motivate them to run on a treadmill, music groups can motivate people to connect with others around them to grow socially, emotionally, and in the case of early childhood – developmentally. As music therapists, we know how to make music individualized: to tailor it to promote growth towards wellness in many domains instead of just encouraging growth musically. Additionally, music therapy is a relationship based practice which really helps foster a safe accepting environment beneficial to building a sense of community in community based music therapy settings.

Additionally, I agree with what Tori said about music being able to unite people across age as well. I really resonate with that when I see it occur within my own intergenerational groups with music as a medium to bridge the gap between all of those years and still helping each side grow. It’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to incorporate this course into my work.

[Courtney Kjaldgaard]

I’ve only really started diving into community-based initiatives within my work over the last year. As a student and an intern, I had a similar mentality to Debrah in regards to what music therapy is and what it is not and who should receive services. I thought if you were someone who didn’t have any kind of disability or health condition, that you would be able to find and use music in a way that suits you personally. I didn’t realize until after I started my private practice that my role as a music therapist could include helping all types of individuals, even those who are just dealing with everyday stresses and anxieties, find ways to use music therapeutically and in a purposeful way. I read Jennifer Buchanan’s book “Tune In: A Music Therapy Approach to Life” and it really helped change the way I see my role as a music therapist and my role within the community. I have started offering presentations to the general public (at different community and resource centers) on how to use music purposefully, including how to use music to deal with stress and anxiety and how to use music purposefully for everyday activities (such as waking up, exercise, etc.). My community-based work also includes the early childhood groups that I run (which I run out of churches and other rental facilities) and the music and wellness groups that I offer at senior residences/retirement homes. I feel that as a business owner, it is integral for me to provide community-based programming in order to spread awareness of my practice and awareness for music therapy itself. I have done more networking and made more connections within the community during these programs/presentations than I have within any other work setting.

So basically, to answer the original question, I think the existence of music therapy within community-based settings is necessary and it’s role should be a large one, especially for those who live in a smaller community and/or are running their own music therapy practice.

[Joanne Van Eycke]

Music therapy can be very beneficial in community based settings. As others have stated, music has the ability to connect and unite individuals that may otherwise not come together. For example, I worked as a music therapist in an inner city school for grades pre-k through 8th grade. The needs of this population varied greatly as you can imagine. I worked with children who were self-injurying, children who were neglected at home, discipline problems, learning disabilities and the special education classes to include 3 classes with hearing impairments.

Though many of these individuals passed in the hall, most never even noticed the other. Most isolated though were the children with hearing impairments. This was most obvious when they combined with their same age peers for physical education class. Hearing children had no means to communicate with them and the children were so used to being ignored that they didn’t reach out and just hung together.

At times, the principal thought beneficial for some of the children with more intense discipline problems to spend more time with me, the music therapist. Many times this interfered with my already existing groups. However, something wonderful came from this. As their music therapist, I was able to begin to bridge the gap of communication in the school community. It was more than just teaching the students that were labeled “bad” sign language. Although, showing those individuals that they were able to learn and implement a new school was very beneficial to them. It was showing the community that different did not mean unequal.

Fast forward to the school concert that year and more moving forward, all of the students in my charge performed, together. Even now that I am no longer there, it is common practice that the whole school participates in events together. Imagine the potential for change and growth if more school had music therapists.

[Megan Neil]

When I read this I wonder what is defined as a “community based setting”. I think of community settings like libraries, daycares, concert venues, grocery stores, places of worship, etc. Places where people go collectively within the community. I also think about community music therapy and the big push this has had in the last number of years. One of my best friends focused her graduate clinical work/project on community music therapy at the college level. She focused her project on creating and implementing a group where both mentors of college students with disabilities and those college students themselves participated and engaged together to create a rock band and lead an end of semester performance within the college. I think music therapists are being stretched outward and there is a GREAT calling for more of a community based approach within our field. I think the principle of Sprouting Melodies exemplifies that. The program is for all children and parents to come together in a community setting and engage in music. I think the role of music therapy in these settings is to bring these people together, work toward erasing labels, and engaging with all people of the community to help create and keep the community going. To show everyone that we are all more alike than we are different. It is my personal opinion that as music therapists we are to be advocates for all and to help improve the lives of all of our clients. I think that we also need to go out as individuals into the community to work toward making things better for everyone.

[Janet Buchanan]

When you mention music therapy in community-based settings, I tend to think of existing community music events and groups. You have the performers and concerts, and then there are the groups like community bands, church choirs, and whatnot. Yes, there are these other opportunities for music already out there, but they don’t quite match what music therapy does. Concerts and events are accessible to all, but are about listening to music rather than participating in music. Community performing groups are participatory in nature, but may seem threatening or inaccessible to people without a background in music. Community-based music therapy can catch the people who fall between the cracks–those who want to actively participate in music, but don’t have the requisite skills. Music therapists have the training and experience necessary to create meaningful music experiences for all sorts of people.

That last paragraph was mostly referring to people who don’t typically receive music therapy services. There’s even more potential for building community when you start to include those who already participate in individual or group music therapy. Promoting a more inclusive environment for children with special needs, or offering intergenerational music groups at a nursing home can allow all sorts of people to come together around the experience of making music.

[Peggy Grace]

I think that community-based music therapy programs are very beneficial in a variety of ways.

First of all, it is a way to reach out to various populations in the community. I especially think of low income families who may not have access to private sessions. Many cannot drive long distances where services are held, but a community-based program could offer a viable alternative so that children from all walks of life are included.

One example I think of is one of MT’s who works solely in our Hope For Kids program. Many of her patients are home-based, but she is also able to provide services through our agency at local schools at no cost to the school. These are mostly children with special needs and/or life-threatening illnesses. Like other participants have stated, I would also include schools as a potential community-based setting.

I can also potential for groups for persons with Parkinson’s disease, nursing homes and also churches where music therapy could be an effective tool for community out reach

I have found in my own practice that community presentations and in-services are crucial for educating the public about music therapy, and this in turn can result in community-based programs. There is so much potential for making sure that folks from all walks of life have the opportunity to engage in music.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I hope this questions helps you to think about how you work within your community and how you can work within your community.

[Author]

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