Music: A Sense of Spirit Brought to Bear
I always enjoy how music fits so well into such a variety of contexts. Music can set, reflect or intensify the emotional tone or message of an event. As is well discussed in the music therapy literature music is such a basic, primordial human endeavor that it's pairing with other human endeavors makes for an overall experience with a "punctuated" (Ruud, 1998) or an "amplified" (Kenny, 2006) meaning; a sense of spirit brought to bear. As music therapists this awareness is our business, our daily mode of operation. However, in my culture it is easy for music making to remain compartmentalized within the context of music therapy. Therefore I also always appreciate it when music finds its way into life beyond my work in music therapy.
The most overt way this happens is through getting out and playing with other musicians. Jamming and performing is something I used to do regularly but after a break from that scene (a.k.a. having children) I'm getting back into it. I find that playing with other musicians is not only extremely satisfying in itself, but it also serves as important grist for my work in music therapy. This is because - and I believe this to be the case for most music therapists - there is a basic intention at the heart of what we do in our work which emanates from a tacit awareness we each have of the impact of music on our own lives. We draw inspiration from the ways that involvement in music has enriched us and has imbued our lives with meaning. I believe that at a basic level we seek to share this enrichment with others. I know that for me, having musical experiences outside of my role as a therapist keeps me in touch with, and fuels this basic intention.
Another way that music has been finding expression in my life lately is as a form of an accompaniment to political activism. There is a growing awareness and concern about the potential negative effects of global warming and climate change. As such a group of concerned neighbors in my community have formed a non-partisan group under the name Voters Taking Action Against Climate Change (VTACC). One of the striking features of this group is the positive, almost celebratory tone associated with the activities it has carried out[1]. This feature has helped make the group approachable to both politicians and community members at large. A key element in keeping this positive tone while advocating for tough legislative change has been the inclusion of live music in public events that the group has carried out. This has ranged from including jazz music at fundraising events, a funky marching band and children's music at a rally, to leading a crowd in an adaptation of "Jingle Bells" as a special message to our Premier who was at the time giving the green light to the creation of three new coal-fired power plants in BC. This being the month of December I've included our mock up of "Jingle Bells":
Jingle Bells Carbon SmellsChorus:
Jingle Bells, carbon smells
There's no time to wait
Add another coal-fired plant
And it will be too lateJingle Bells, carbon smells
There's no time to wait
2050 as a target date
Is way the heck too late!There's more storms every year
Floods and freezing rain
How much more do you need-to-see
We're facing climate change?The polar ice has shrunk
And Santa's getting wet
He's trading his sleigh for a boat
And Rudolph is upsetChorus
A year or two ago
Promises were made
But hot air from the parliaments
Just adds to climate changeIts time to make a change
Demand it right awayA plan to cap emissions now
And make them go awayChorus
With the winter holiday season upon us I am reminded of another way that music permeates my daily life in that it's time to get out the Christmas music. In my culture music is generally held as a specialist activity, relegated to professionals or to those deemed to have special skill. This is something that has both positive and negative ramifications for music therapy. On one hand it makes the user friendly music therapy approach quite unique and rather refreshing in what sometimes seems our musically exclusionist zeitgeist. But it also makes for a current that music therapists find themselves working against: "But I'm not musical" is a refrain familiar to most music therapists. Yet come Christmas time, I suddenly start getting asked to bring my guitar along to dinner parties and social events. It's the one time of year that people – folks who are not "musicians" - want to sing. And that is a lovely thing.
As this contribution to the Fortnightly Column closes out 2007 I would like to thank all those people who have contributed to Voices throughout the year. In doing so you have not only helped to keep Voices the thriving resource for music therapy that it is, but have also contributed to our sense of being part of a music therapy community on a global scale. A happy holiday season to all.
Note
[1] For information on VTACC and for photos of events check out www.vtacc.org
References
Kenny, C.B. (2006). Music & Life in the Field of Play: An Anthology. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.
Ruud, E. (1998). Music Therapy: Improvisation, Communication and Culture. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.
How to cite this page
Howard, Martin (2007). Music: A Sense of Spirit Brought to Bear. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 08, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=colhoward171207