Andeline Dos Santos (2007) provides a compelling illustration of group music therapy practice in South Africa and highlights the way that it addresses the individual, group, community and beyond. She points to the "traditional African" emphasis on "group self" (Pavlicevic, 2003) as one reason why group music therapy is particularly viable in the South African context. In her words, "To approach a problem that an individual is experiencing through group music therapy may be more compatible with this cultural system than a one-on-one approach" (Dos Santos, 2007). Borrowing this argument, one might hypothesize that group music therapy is the most viable option not only when working with collectivist Sub-Saharan Africa, but with other collectivist populations across the globe.
How, then, may we use Dos Santos' valuable experience with group music therapy in South Africa to enhance our work with immigrant clients of collectivist origin in individualistic societies like the United States?
In the United States, group music therapy may not always be the best approach to working with clients of collectivist origin. In milieus where the client may be integrated into a culturally-relevant music therapy group (ideally one where clients share the same cultural background), the benefit of group music therapy seems obvious; the client can integrate into a therapeutic group reflective of his/her native music, values and homeland. In milieus where the client cannot be integrated into a culturally-relevant music therapy group (perhaps because they are in the extreme cultural minority), group music therapy may hold less therapeutic appeal.
I am United States born, a first-generation North-American with half Italian and half Peruvian heritage, and this uniquely mixed cultural identity informs my evolving approach to music therapy. I have the good fortune of working in a culturally-rich adult and geriatric residential setting as part of my graduate practicum through Lesley University. Latin-Americans represent a small but significant minority of my client population. I am one of the only care providers of Latin-American descent within this setting, a position that affords me the opportunity to make a unique difference in the lives of the Latin-American clients with whom I work. I am keenly aware of the isolation which their immigration represents; my Latin-American clients find themselves in a foreign context on many levels and they come from largely collectivist Latin-American societies. A well-known Latin-American proverb illustrates their collectivist spirit well: Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres (tell me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are).
As part of my practicum, I co-facilitate a number of individual, large and small group sessions for clients, and these sessions may include some clients whose only language is Spanish. My biggest challenge is well-articulated by Pavlicevic (2003): "Providing music for all the subgroups within a group at the same time is complicated." During group sessions, I currently employ a repertoire of mostly English-language songs, knowing that I am potentially and unwittingly alienating my few Latin-American clients. I have witnessed some Latin-American clients engage in and enjoy group music therapy sessions without song or language familiarity. I have also, however, seen some Latin-American clients largely disinterested with and disengaged by our group music therapy process, presumably because it reflects a dominant culture not theirs. Where does this leave me as a music therapist in-training seeking to honor the collectivist cultures from which some of my clients come but without the resources to implement group music therapy that may feel culturally relevant for everyone?
As Dos Santos points out, "We are not alone in facing the challenges of multicultural work" (2007). I recently approached a Latin-American client for individual music therapy sessions (a luxury that admittedly does not exist in every therapeutic setting). He was in social and cultural isolation, was completely uninterested in group music therapy and ignored my attempts at Spanish conversation, although he was willing to converse minimally in English. During our first individual session, I asked him to paint the flag of his native country, Mexico. "Why Mexican flag?" he asked in broken English. "Porque eres de México, un muy lindo país, y sería buenísimo que todos lo sepan" ("Because you are from Mexico, a really beautiful country, and it would be great if everyone knew it"), I offered. I then brought to session a collection of traditional Mexican songs from the 1940s-1950s and the result was subtle yet significant. My client --who had previously rejected my Spanish conversation attempts and most all musical engagement--, began to reminisce and tentatively sing with me in Spanish. Lia Rejane Mendes Barcellos (2006) explains: "The employment of such tunes that belong to the cultural identity of the elderly, particular of those dwelling far away from their native grounds allows most of the time the possibility of.reconstitution of important events connected to their life stories." After three weeks of emphasizing music and relationship-building through one-on-one work, my client is now voluntarily attending one-on-one sessions, conversing and singing in Spanish, and has shown a tentative interest in joining the group music therapy sessions.
The United States still has a long way to go in understanding and responding to the complexities and nuances of our own unique multicultural setting. Following Dos Santos' lead, we can explore which therapeutic approaches best cater to the multi-faceted cultures of our clients, particularly those clients away from their homelands. With regard to my client from Mexico, one-on-one work was what he needed initially, but should our individual sessions provide a bridge to his participation in group music therapy, my hope is that he will encounter a sense of community support away from his country of origin. Even if this is not the case, I will continue exploring what Bruscia refers to in Defining Music Therapy as the two musical therapy relationships with greatest methodological significance: how the client relates to the music and how the client relates to the therapist (1998), and how this relates to our work in an increasing multicultural context.
Barcellos, Lia Rejane Mendes (2006). Back to the Roots. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved from http://voices.no/?q=colbarcellos030706
Bruscia, K. (1998). Defining Music Therapy (second edition). Gilsum: Barcelona Publishers.
Dos Santos, Andeline (2005). The Role of Culture in Group Music Therapy in South Africa. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 24, 107, from https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/225/169
Pavlicevic, M. (2003). Groups in Music: Strategies from Music Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley.