Special Needs, Community Music, and Adult Learning (Oxford Handbooks) by Gary E. McPherson & Graham F. Welch

Author:Gary E. McPherson & Graham F. Welch
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780190674441
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2018-05-03T06:00:00+00:00

In any given music therapy session at the Thirtieth Street Men’s Shelter there is a revolving number of participants. While the unit consists of 30 men, those participating in a session vary, depending on the men’s needs and desires. They are not forced to go to music therapy; they go because they want the musical-communal interaction. The sessions are shaped around musical improvisation. The men sit in a circle with a number of percussion and string instruments in the center. When the men walk into a session, they are free to choose whatever instrument appeals to them on that given day. They sit down and, as they wait for the session to begin, they play their chosen instruments, reacquainting themselves with musical materials. As Mercedes Pavlicevic (1997) writes: “music therapy improvisation appeals not only to the symptoms but to the whole person, including those aspects that are not ‘ill,’ and including those aspects of the client that have only an obtuse relationship to ‘the illness’ ” (p. 93).

On the occasion of my visit, the men began by explaining to me the parameters of the music therapy session. Robert,2 a man who was manic, highly irritable, and often sleepy (partially due to his medications), explained what went on in the sessions. He said: “We sing, we play instruments. We get to know each other better through our singing and our music making.” This led to an introductory activity. We went around in a circle and introduced ourselves musically—by improvising on our chosen instruments, expressing our thoughts and feelings in the moment. Karl, a man with violent tendencies and a form of mental retardation, asked an intern (a New York University music therapy student) if she could explain the music she made. The intern replied: “That’s my music. That’s how I feel.” In response, Tyrrell, a paranoid schizophrenic who tends to shy away from the group, asked: “What is music, anyway?” Shapiro seized the opportunity to explore the question with the group. Juan, a Hispanic man who never allowed his hands to stray from the head of his beloved conga drum, said that “music is music when there’s a beat.” As he said this, his fingers produced light Latin-influenced rhythms. After a little back and forth on this point, Robert asked: “What’s the difference between music and noise?” This prompted further discussions.

This kind of communal public space, which encourages collective judgments and creates open networks of self-reflection and critical communication, emulates the best aspects of civil society. In other words, community music as love-in-action allows for this kind of communication, even when people disagree. Mark, a tense and depressed man with a defiant and antisocial demeanor, became impatient with the dialogue. Mark said: “There’s too much talking! Not enough music!” And so went the give and take of love—love-as-action naturally moves through phases of conflict, but conflict that is both constructive and negotiated.

Shapiro shifted the men’s attention back to music making. Shapiro asked the men to select musical partners. Mark chose the intern (according to Shapiro, he always chooses her) and myself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.