Abstract
Music therapy as a rational science has evolved expansively in western societies for more than 50 years. This allied health profession merges music interventions with psychology, behavioral science, neurorehabilitation, medical procedures, counseling, and developmental theories to accomplish non-musical clinical outcomes. Music therapy is used across myriad community and healthcare settings, so it is vital for clinicians to be sensitive to each individual’s unique sociocultural background and identity. The field as a whole will benefit from an increased understanding of how music therapy has developed in different societies.
International Perspectives in Music Therapy and Training: Adapting to a Changing World, a new collection of essays edited by Professor Karen D. Goodman, provides an illuminating exploration into many great programs, experiences, and concepts from beyond the western world, traveling to where music therapy is lighting up on the map.
Goodman’s 264-page tome marries her own insights with those of her contemporaries from around the world. The book’s title aptly summarizes Goodman’s thesis: Music therapists from around the world articulate several perspectives on either the changing field of music therapy or the preparation of music therapy students.
Part I (Chapters 1–3) presents three model university training programs: Lee’s music-centered education in Canada (pp. 5–39), Ala-Ruona’s stimulating description of the multilevel intensive clinical training program in Finland (pp. 40–74), and Ridder’s model of problem-based learning in Denmark (pp. 75–102).
Part II (Chapters 4–8) discusses Krout’s community-based learning approach as applied in Bahamian, Jamaican, and American communities (pp. 103–129), Gilboa’s insights on multicultural identify in Israel (pp. 130–158), how Kim balances the western educational models with eastern perspectives in Asia (pp. 159–172), Barcellos and Alvares’s excitement as Brazilian health and education policies allow music therapy to expand beyond the clinical setting and even into the vibrant Carnival (pp. 173–201), and Sundar’s augmentation of western music therapy with traditional Indian musical healing practices (pp. 202–218).
Part III (Chapters 9–13) is titled “Ongoing and Emerging Needs of a Discipline,” and includes commentary on academic professionalism from Edwards in Australia and Ireland and Simon in Norway (pp. 219–240), York’s advocacy for LGBTQ content in her southeastern United States curriculum (pp. 241–266), Bunt’s revitalization of the art versus science debate as it applies to British music therapy programs’ placements within increasingly financially oriented universities (pp. 267–300), Streeter’s development of post-training clinical supervision in the UK (pp. 301–321), and Goodman’s own chapter on publishing and sharing information through books and evolving multimedia (pp. 322–343).
The eclectic group of contributors includes a refreshing variety of professional, clinical, and theoretical approaches to music therapy. The authors are highly experienced in Nordoff-Robbins, Guided Imagery and Music, psychoanalytic and communication-based approaches, and neurology. However, there is no clear behavioral representative.
On a personal note, International Perspectives re-inspired my appreciation for sensitivity and global collaboration. When first picking up the book, I thought Adapting to a Changing World implied such narrow issues as state recognition, obstacles to billing and reimbursement, whether the field is ready for master’s-level entry, what our scope of practice should allow, etc., but these are much smaller country- and state-level issues. Thankfully, this book is far more comprehensive and takes a macro approach as opposed to addressing such specific challenges.
Goodman’s notes on Part III in the preface actually describe the entire book: “seemingly disparate, the issues mingle with each other through underlying themes toward a heightened awareness” (p. xiv). This book’s thesis is broad, and though everything indeed relates back to Music Therapy education, training, or the professional discipline in general, it does not attempt to be a laser-focused resource, but instead a compendium of compelling literature. Chapter authors from across the world each shine a light on topics from their own countries and professional experiences; this book then acts as a prism, turning these multifaceted contributions into rainbows of ideas and inspirations.
As I have a preferred color of the rainbow—purple—so too do I have a favorite section of International Perspectives. I was personally most excited by descriptions from music therapy students, interns, clinicians, and professors at the University of Jyväskylä, who are functioning at multiple levels for maximum field training while providing benefit to clients. Other readers may be more absorbed by India’s complicated and interconnected history of music, healing, and religion. I learned the most from the cultures and traditions I knew the least about, and I challenge other readers to pay special attention to the chapters they may be least likely to read. This book is about sensitivity and adaptation. It opens the mind and the heart to what is possible through music therapy interventions. Although “seemingly disparate,” appreciating the book as a whole is more useful than reading any isolated section. The editor is a very well-read professor and widely distributed author; she does a good job of organizing the vibrant colors into complementary palates that blend smoothly into one another.
Goodman’s own final chapter was helpful, but the reader is left to connect the dots as to how it relates to multiculturalism; perhaps the point is that publishing in books (and journals, ebooks, social media, etc.) is essential for international communication and multicultural awareness. It was surprising when the book ultimately concluded in this chapter with, “it is important for the music therapist to begin to consider citation, redundancy, patterns, trends, gaps, publishing companies, and distribution when writing a book” (p. 341). The book overall would benefit from a comprehensive conclusion, or even a call to action for the reader.
International Perspectives is a pleasant read and will open and engage the minds of students, supervisors, and clinicians. As a resource, it will provide the educator with ideas and models to enhance their program, but it is also designed for a larger audience. This book should be read by anybody interested in music therapy programs, critical thinking, international perspectives on health and healing, interpersonal sensitivity, professional development, or the historical context and the foundations for the future of global music therapy.