Teresa Devlin, a Musician and Missioner, discusses the importance of Music Therapy in Honduras, a third world country located in Central America. She clearly states Honduras’ position regarding social, economical and political issues and how it affects the country’s improvement and growth. Honduras, as many other Latin American countries, experiences high levels of illiteracy in its people, which does not enable the increment of the country’s economy and the eradication of poverty.
Probably, the absence of Music Therapy programs at universities in Honduras and in other Central American countries is due to the lack of knowledge and experience of people regarding this profession and its benefits, but, as she says, this situation will change someday and that is the reason why she keeps on developing projects with community members that include music therapy.
The author points out certain relevant aspects regarding the actual status of Music Therapy in the country. Even though there are no professionals in the area, Teresa and others carry out music therapy practices in sessions with clients. One of the examples that she mentions is about a little kid who was experiencing emotional and psychological problems due to the loss of his mother and after a few sessions of music therapy he recovered his normal functionality. This situation clearly reveals the power of music as therapy even when it is not held by a certified music therapist. Her musical knowledge, disposition, love and interest in helping others to overcome any kind of disability have given her the courage to use music therapy’s techniques the best she can to pursue good results. The lack of immediate music therapy assessment in the country makes sessions complicated and sometimes difficult to manage, but the support she receives from professionals from other countries provide her updated information and techniques to help clients in their different needs.
Certainly, it is very difficult to work with just a few tools when you have too many things in mind, but the harder the challenge the greater the recompense and this is actually what she has been doing with music therapy. I can assure that this situation not only happen in Honduras but also in many other countries where there are people who believe in the healing powers of music but do not have music therapy as a profession or even music therapists around them.
Since Music Therapy is a very new profession, it is difficult to find music therapists working in Central America’s countries such as Honduras or Costa Rica. Will Costa Rica’s and other Central America’s hard workers such as Teresa will be the next challengers to pursue Music Therapy Practice in this country? Certainly they will, since some students are getting opportunities to study abroad and receive all the preparation to go back to their countries and start working in this field acknowledging that everyday more people are aware of the importance of music to improve social, affective, motor, emotional, psychological and motor skills of any population. Regardless of the fact that Music Education in Costa Rica is a well-established profession and it is doing a great job in exploding people’s capacities and abilities, music has to go beyond that and look for the fulfillment of everybody’s joy , mainly those who experience any kind of physical, psychological, emotional or social disability. If Music Educators in Costa Rica could have the chance to receive music therapy courses and assessment by now, the possibilities of music therapy acceptance, approval and recognition as a well-established and necessary profession in the country would be easily reachable in a near future.
Teresa’s discussion reflects her desire for people to know how important music therapy is to help other’s overcome difficult situations and the urge the country has to start programs that can facilitate these necessities. Certainly, her position is a call to authorities from Honduras to recognize the importance of the implementation of the profession in this country, and also it can be said that this a way to call the attention of other Central American countries to start working and establish the profession for the benefit of the entire population, especially for those who suffer from any kind of disability.
Teresa Devlin (2005). Music Therapy in Honduras. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 17, 2009 from http://www.voices.no/country/monthhondurasapril2005.html