I would like to begin by saying that any time I have the opportunity to read and learn more about how music therapy is expanding globally I find it not only informative but also motivational as a student. I especially enjoy learning about other cultures that I can personally relate to.
In The Role of Culture in Group Music Therapy in South Africa, Andeline Dos Santos discusses how the culture differences between music therapist and client really can create a barrier between them. In this article, Santos looks at specific cultural features, which music therapists in South Africa are facing, with specific regards to the idea of cultural "levels."
Within the realm of music therapy, music therapists face many cultural differences on a daily basis regardless whether they are practicing in South Africa like this article discusses or if they are practicing in the United States or any other part of the world. In South Africa, it appears that a majority of the practicing music therapists are Caucasian, which in itself can pose many problems. As discussed in the article, cultural difference and white supremacy have been synonymous for the last several years in South Africa. This can pose a problem when trying to create a music therapy session.
In the United States, it appears that variations in culture are not only impacted by our ethnic backgrounds, but also the many different genres in music. There are many varieties in music, found in the United States, and I personally have had trouble finding music that would meet the client's needs on both an individual and a group level. I believe some this can be attributed to the many different cultures within one area. In a given music therapy session, there could be clients from all around the world including Asia, Africa, or South America to name a few; therefore, their musical choices are going to be different based on their ethnic background. It is important to be able to meet these clients. It is vital that we meet these clients' needs regardless of what type of music they prefer. This can pose problems for music therapists in the United States. It is important to remember these various backgrounds and cultural differences that can be observed. In addition, one should remember that what one client might find therapeutic the other might not be able to relate to at all.
It is important as music therapists to step outside of our comfort zone and face the challenges that accompany working with multiculturalism. The world as a whole is beginning to experience more multiculturalism and we as music therapists are going to be finding this to be one of our greatest challenges when trying to meet the goals of our clients. We need to recognize that there are differences among people and not try to make my music your music and visa-versa. We should be able to appreciate each other's music at some level but we should not have to adjust ourselves to make it our music. How boring would our world really be if we all conformed to only one type and style of music?