Music therapy in a specific country is
La Musicoterapia en la República Argentina: Music Therapy in Argentina
Introduction
Since the 2003 report prepared for Voices by Karina Ferrari and Viviana Sanchez, music therapy in Argentina has continued a steady development, promoted by its professionals and a broader application of the discipline in different areas. We have witnessed progress in education and clinical practice in the last four years, and it is a great honour for music therapy in our country that we are preparing to host the XIIth World Congress in Buenos Aires in July 2008. We hope we will meet many Voices readers here next year.
XII World Congress of Music Therapy, July 22nd to 26th 2008
Buenos Aires was the home of the Second World Congress of Music Therapy in 1976. Thirty two years have gone by and Argentina is proud again to welcome international music therapists to the city of Buenos Aires in July 2008. The conference is organized jointly by the following agencies:
- The University of Buenos Aires.(UBA) Music Therapy Department, School of Psychology.
- The Argentinean Music Therapy Association (ASAM)
- The World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT)
"Music, Culture, Sound and Health" is the motto of the Congress. These words summarize what constitutes the practice of music therapy from a human-centered perspective. The goals of the conference are:
- To update scientific knowledge about music therapy.
- To share new research in the field of music therapy relating to different theories and specific procedures.
- To showcase varied aspects of the music therapy practice around the world.
- To promote professional exchange among music therapist throughout the world.
- To offer a contemporary vision of the music therapy discipline to the scientific community and to health and educational teams, where the music therapist is a professional member.
The conference website can be found at: www.musicoterapia2008.com.ar
Fellow colleagues: welcome to Argentina 2008!
An update on Argentinian music therapy in 2007
Training programs in music therapy
With regard to music therapist education, Universidad Maimónides started in 2006 to offer a music therapy degree, complementing the existing programs at the Universidad del Salvador, Universidad Abierta Interamericana and the University of Buenos Aires. All these institutions grant the degree of Bachelor in Music Therapy. The Universidad del Salvador grants an associate degree. Completing a Bachelor degree takes between four and five years, including internships in health centers, in psychiatric hospitals, national and state hospitals and special education schools amongst others.
Graduate studies and continuing education do not operate so systematically in Argentina. There is one postgraduate course within the School of Psychology at the University of Buenos Aires. Economic and social problems affecting Argentina have hindered the development of post graduate programs here. However, there are a number of music therapy study groups that conduct research.
A survey conducted by the Argentine Delegation to the Latin American Congress (Ferraggina, 2004) showed an increase in the number of music therapists as a percentage of the total number of university professors. This has produced improved educational outcomes in our discipline. The same survey show the existence of sponsored internships in various hospitals, especially in Buenos Aires and the existence of specialized practices in hospitals in the rest of the country.
Professional Practice
Music therapists are currently integrated into various multidisciplinary teams in the health sector showing the increased importance of their expertise in health disciplines. Some of our colleagues, are increasingly assuming leadership positions, coordinating teams in health institutions. Several Argentinian music therapists have been invited to participate in courses, workshops and training seminars in Latin American.
Music therapy has been increasingly applied to community settings, which has resulted in more systematic inclusion of references to and application of music therapy in local health literature.At this point, it is interesting to mention that local Argentinian music therapy literature is being developed through publications of books that showcase different approaches to clinical practice.
Survey results (Sabbatella, 2003) shows that in Argentina, practice is conducted through the application of active methods. Improvisation, combined with music and expressive body movement, is the main technique used. However patients'needs form the starting point for choosing the appropriate approach to treatment. Music therapists do not often conduct sessions jointly with other music therapy professionals (due to small numbers) or have many external observers.
Argentinean Music therapists are actively involved in congresses and workshops, not only in their own field but also, for example, within the mental health, education and handicapped children areas, amongst others.
Legal issues
In December 2005, the Congress of the Buenos Aires province approved a Law for the practice of Music Therapy. This is a huge achievement for our profession - given that Buenos Aires is the biggest province in Argentina. At the same time, from December 2006 a Law concerning Music Therapy Practice is actively being promoted in the Nacional Congreso. This is being done jointly with the Ministry of Public Health. These laws are a result of the joint effort of staff from the universities and professional associations, who have discussed extensively the contents and scope of contents as they relate to safe music therapy practice.
Links and Contacts
- Asociación Argentina de Musicoterapia [Argentine Association of Music Therapy - ASAM] (http://www.musicoterapia.org.ar)
- Asociación de Musicoterapia de Neuquén [Neuquen Music Therapy Association - AMUN] (noeminuim@infovia.com.ar)
- Universidad Abierta Interamericana [Interamerican Open University] (http://www.vaneduc.edu.ar/uai/)
- Universidad de Buenos Aires [University of Buenos Aires - UBA (http://www.uba.ar/)
- Universidad del Salvador [El Salvador University - USAL] (http://www.salvador.edu.ar/)
- Fundación Rolando Benenzon (rbenenzon@ciudad.com.ar)
- Investigación Clínica en Musicoterapia - ICMUS [Clinical Investigation in Music Therapy] icmusargentina@yahoo.com.ar
- Programa ADIM - Asistencia, Investigación y Desarrollo en Musicoterapia [ADIM program - Assistance, Research and Development in Music Therapy] (adim@datamarkets.com.ar)
- Musicoterapia Norte http://www.musicoterapianorte.com.ar
- Pro Musicoterapia http://www.promusicoterapia.com.ar
References
Ferraggina, A, (2004) Panorama 2004 de la Musicoterapia en la Argentina. II Congreso Latinoamericano de Musicoterapia. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Sabbattella, P.(2003) La evaluación en la Práctica profesional de la Musicoterapia: un estudio descriptivo en el contexto Iberoamericano. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Univ. De Cádiz, España.
To cite this page:
Ferraggina, Amelia (2007). La Musicoterapia en la República Argentina: Music Therapy in Argentina .
Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved
from http://www.voices.no/country//monthargentina_november2007.php
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