Voices ResourcesA website for the worldwide community around the journal Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy

A Response to Helen Oosthuizen’s “Some Thoughts on Being a White Music Therapist”

Upon my first discovery of Helen Oosthuizen’s “Some Thoughts on Being a White Music Therapist,” I was excited and eager to delve into a discussion which not only included music therapy but also skin color. When paired together, skin color and music therapy seemed to not have any relation. However, in this day and age, the two entities may often be combined more than we expect.

Following my reading, I developed two contrasting feelings. The first was, the feeling of sympathy. Listening to Helen’s experience as a white music therapist working with black Tswana speaking women reminded me that I myself am a minority. A person with skin color one or two shades darker than the majority, always trapped in classrooms full of white people speaking in a foreign language which we all recognize as English. Helen mentioned her isolation, her anger, and the feeling of being useless in this situation filled with great misunderstanding; I can sympathize with this. Secondly, I felt overwhelming gratitude. I am grateful that as a student music therapist I have not encountered a group of people with whom I may have experienced terrible social engagements. While I am not ready to be in such a situation, I do look forward being in a situation such as the one Helen experienced because I believe that music therapy is a strong enough force able to break such a deep-rooted, stubborn barrier. As I thought about how Helen’s experience may teach and help me prepare for a similar difficult experience, I reflected on similar ideas from a book I have been reading.

In Community Music Therapy, edited by Pavlicevic and Ansdell, Dorit Amir reminds us that without culture, humans are not beings. It is from Amir’s writing that I gained an understanding of the necessity of music therapists approaching clients with a clear recognition of their culture. Perhaps it is the very problem of race and skin color which needs to be delivered and worked through in music therapy. Perhaps professionals and aspiring music therapists alike should take the time to recognize and validate the differences in culture, as Helen Oosthuizen has done. Applicable to Helen’s discussion, Amir proposed many questions surrounding music therapy and culture. Here are two of them: “How can music therapists use music in order to build and strengthen the identity of clients who suffer from cultural loss and shaken identity?” and “How can music therapists encourage clients to become part of the community and enhance their sense of belonging to society in order to feel less isolated?”

In Helen’s situation, perhaps it is OK to feel as though all the plans for the session are irrelevant. Perhaps the most important of that uncomfortable situation was the development of a music therapy session surrounding the subject of race, differences, community, culture, rights, and power. Perhaps these are some of the real and immediate issues that need to be addressed? Considering those actions, it is clear that music therapists should study the background of a specific group of people prior to his/her encounter with them. These are some of my own basic thoughts and ideas:

1. It is of great importance to learn the types of music of the clients’ culture. Moreover, it is crucial to learn of not only the music specific to the country of the clients’ origin but also of the specific region of the country. Just as important as learning the music well, it is important to have knowledge of how certain songs/music may traditionally be performed.
2. From Helen’s experience, it is apparent that music therapists should know the language well enough to carry on a casual conversation. Having no knowledge of the language may be counterproductive to the therapeutic experience.
3. Music therapists should be familiar with the roles of society. Music therapists should know where they should stand in that society: How should one approach/address a younger person and how should one approach/address an older person in that society? How much space should you provide for other people, etc.
4. It is important to leave behind preconceived notions about a certain culture prior to a music therapy session for it may hinder your success from the very beginning.
5. Lastly, it is crucial to provide clients with the opportunity to voice their thoughts. Some clients may only want to make music because perhaps it is the only thing that they can successfully achieve in music therapy. If clients desire no verbal communication, use the music to its greatest therapeutic extent.