Response to the columns "On History" and "Loss of Friends"
In her column "On History,", Michele Forinash wrote about the importance of remembering people who have contributed to the music therapy profession. And in "The Loss of Friends," Carolyn Kenny honored others who have passed away and their contributions. Both writers' sentiments resonated with me, as we have lost colleagues and friends who were important and who I still miss. I will not mention these people now, as they deserve their own columns and I may write about them someday (as others have already done).
But thinking about people who have made (and are making) important contributions to music therapy prompts me to acknowledge a person who has contributed a lot but who is very much alive. I would like to write about Claus Bang, who has been working on a project that allows us to learn about and enjoy his many years of work with children with hearing and related problems. During the time that he worked at the State School for Hard-of-Hearing and Deaf in Aalborg, Denmark, from 1961 to 1998, he developed a wonderful music therapy program for these children. Claus presented his work around the world - I first met him and heard him present his work in 1978 - and has had an impact on music therapy work with people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.
For a number of years, Claus has been documenting his nearly four decades of work in a project titled "A World of Sound & Music." This project has resulted in a series of DVDs that are available in several languages. The description that he provides on his website says that the project includes "therapeutic and educational work with deaf, hearing impaired and multi-handicapped children and adolescents ranging in age from 2-21..[and] contains many music therapy approaches with these children and adolescents, including musical voice treatment and speech therapy, song therapy, dance and movement therapy, drama, instrumental and orchestral work." The variety of examples is tremendous and gives a broad view of Claus Bang's work.
I am very grateful for Claus' many years of music therapy work and the creativity with which he has done this work. I am also glad that he documented his work with videos and for the substantial effort that he has made to make this material available to us. I encourage all to look at Claus' website and learn more about this project and the DVDs. All of the information, including how it can be ordered, is at www.clausbang.com.
As I reflect on this one person - Claus Bang's - contribution to music therapy and consider how many people have also had an impact on our work, I marvel at the variety of people who are involved in music therapy and the many contributions that they make. We are indeed fortunate to be in a discipline that attracts so much creativity and such wonderful people!
About Barbara Wheeler
Biography
BARBARA WHEELER, PhD, MT-BC has been Professor and Director of Music Therapy at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, since 2000. She came to that position after 25 years on the faculty of Montclair State University in New Jersey. Her clinical work has been with children and adults with a variety of problems; she currently works on a hospital oncology unit. She edited the books Music Therapy Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives and Music Therapy Research, 2nd Edition, coauthored Clinical Training Guide for the Student Music Therapist, and has written a number of articles and chapters. Wheeler is President of the American Music Therapy Association. She is Interview Co-Editor for Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Barbara frequently speaks and consults about music therapy both in the U.S. and abroad.