I am a drummer, a music therapy student, and I have had a little experience with batucada style samba. So, I was naturally drawn to this article when exploring what Voices had to offer. I especially wanted to explore the connection between various cultures’ use of music and how they relate to music therapy. Most everyone seems to agree that music is a very therapeutic force; but how?, why?, and does music therapy translate across cultural lines?
The article Carnival and Music Therapy provides some great insight into the “world” of music therapy. Being in a sambadrome is, in a sense, Brazil’s national therapy session. The feeling of so many coming together for one purpose is a truly unifying experience- one that easily relates to the concept of entrainment. Music therapists most commonly associate entrainment with drum circles, so it is fitting to discuss that when talking about Carnival since they have some of the largest drumming groups playing together. To me, a samba school (the drumming ensemble as a whole) is a great representation of the crowd. They are both made up of different classes/sections (like the different instrument groupings) yet they are coming together to create one thing. It breaks down social barriers. That’s the great thing about music therapy too! We can share experiences with people who might not be able to communicate with us on most levels, but we can always communicate through music.
On the flipside, I think trying to bring Carnival into the music therapy setting could be difficult. As the author notes in the first paragraph, there are lights, and fireworks, and fantastic creatures that seem unreal all converging in a frenzy of action! This could be very overstimulating for many clients. Of course there would never be actual fireworks, and the size and setting would be completely different, but that is what the rhythms and instruments are designed for. They are loud, and very stimulating. Can the same instruments used in a typical bateria create other soundscapes and moods? Could they create a quiet, meditative state of being? I would imagine this might vary depending on your cultural understanding of the instruments. Since I learned to play bateria drums in the traditional “batucada” style, it is harder for me to imagine them used in a different way. Is it easier for people who aren’t familiar with those specific techniques?
It would be very interesting to see how other cultures embrace samba in music therapy...
Response to Carnival and Music Therapy
I am a drummer, a music therapy student, and I have had a little experience with batucada style samba. So, I was naturally drawn to this article when exploring what Voices had to offer. I especially wanted to explore the connection between various cultures’ use of music and how they relate to music therapy. Most everyone seems to agree that music is a very therapeutic force; but how?, why?, and does music therapy translate across cultural lines?
The article Carnival and Music Therapy provides some great insight into the “world” of music therapy. Being in a sambadrome is, in a sense, Brazil’s national therapy session. The feeling of so many coming together for one purpose is a truly unifying experience- one that easily relates to the concept of entrainment. Music therapists most commonly associate entrainment with drum circles, so it is fitting to discuss that when talking about Carnival since they have some of the largest drumming groups playing together. To me, a samba school (the drumming ensemble as a whole) is a great representation of the crowd. They are both made up of different classes/sections (like the different instrument groupings) yet they are coming together to create one thing. It breaks down social barriers. That’s the great thing about music therapy too! We can share experiences with people who might not be able to communicate with us on most levels, but we can always communicate through music.
On the flipside, I think trying to bring Carnival into the music therapy setting could be difficult. As the author notes in the first paragraph, there are lights, and fireworks, and fantastic creatures that seem unreal all converging in a frenzy of action! This could be very overstimulating for many clients. Of course there would never be actual fireworks, and the size and setting would be completely different, but that is what the rhythms and instruments are designed for. They are loud, and very stimulating. Can the same instruments used in a typical bateria create other soundscapes and moods? Could they create a quiet, meditative state of being? I would imagine this might vary depending on your cultural understanding of the instruments. Since I learned to play bateria drums in the traditional “batucada” style, it is harder for me to imagine them used in a different way. Is it easier for people who aren’t familiar with those specific techniques?
It would be very interesting to see how other cultures embrace samba in music therapy...
Reference:
Barcellos, Lia Rejane Mendes, 2002 Carnival and Music Therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 05, 2011, from http://testvoices.uib.no/?q=fortnightly-columns/2002-carnival-and-music-...