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

Introduction

Bolivia is a country located at the heart of South America. It is named after the liberator Simón Bolivar. It shares borders with Brazil to the North East, with Paraguay to the South East, with Argentina to the South, with Chile to the South East, and with Perú to the North West.

Its population is about 8 million people, and what is more relevant about it´s geographical constitution is the contrast between the cold Andinean zone and the warm low lands of the east.

Along the Andinean zone we can find the "Altiplano", where the city of La Paz is located, the highest capital city of the world (3.636 meters above sea level), with an area of around 100.000 square km, and an average hight of 3599 meters. In the eastern side of the Andes we have the valleys and the fertile warm valleys, intermediate region between the Altiplano and the eastern plains, which cover three quarters of the Bolivian land, and extend to the east, until they mix up with the Brazilian Forest and the Chaco zone. The actual territory of the Bolivian Republic was part of the vast Empire of the Incas, in pre-Columbian times.

Spanish is the oficial language, but also quechua, aymará and other native dialects are spoken.

The diverse nature of Bolivia includes not only different landscapes, but also different ethnias with various idioms, musics and dances which are characteristic from each region. This is why it is said that it is a multi- and pluricultural nation. There is a very rich musical tradition, each region having it's own musical characteristics. Music and dances are always part of events, ceremonies and celebrations.

General Vision

4 years ago, when I arrived to Bolivia, (I am from Argentina), I found a country with serious problems in different orders, specially in its economy, which affects considerably health, education and technological developments. So, as many other carreers, Music therapy does not exist. We can say that in Bolivia, the knowledge and development of music therapy is almost none, because there is no music therapy program in any University, nor technological institute, so the work becomes a little bit lonely if we talk about learning and exchanging. There are a few music therapists who have studied in other countries, like myself. But, as they are not reunited around any institution or association, there is no information or supervision or a place to share your experience. There are other persons, that, although they are not, refer to themselves as music therapists (sometimes psychologists and musicians who have taken some kind of courses). They try to work as music therapists, and they generate confusion and discreditation. This is something impossible to control as there is no certifying institution.

Similar to what happens in Venezuela, music therapy here is an orphan. It has no accademical support. There have been a few lectures, seminars and conferences of low academically level and generally mixed up with other disciplines. Further there isn't any bibliography available because of the ignorance and the dificulty to access books. Books have to be sent from other places, which makes them very expensive. And last, the lack of national investments regarding health and education does not allow the inclusion of new disciplines in areas of prevention and assistance.

So, due of everything I said before, I can only write about what I am working at regarding music therapy.

I am working as a music therapist in a few educational institutions with children with special needs, along with other disciplines, such as physiotherapy, psychopedagogy, psychology, speech therapy, etc. We are implementing an interdisciplinary work in the treatment of persons with psychological problems, learning disabilities, ADD, hyperactivity, autism, Asperger syndrome, language problems, etc. I can say that I am having good results specially working with autistic children who are having very good responses.

How to cite this page

Müller, Cynthia (2006). Music Therapy in Bolivia. Voices Resources. Retrieved January 08, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=country-of-the-month/2006-music-therapy-bolivia