A Pioneer in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil

Cecilia Conde Interviwed by Lia Rejane Mendes Barcellos

Lia Rejane (LR): It was 1972 and the military government, established since 1964, brought fear to the people who couldn't express themselves freely. In this context, the arts flourished - and among them music -, which became almost the only means of expression. The songs were primarily, metaphors of the people's suffering and through their lyrics they also expressed their feelings, their protest and their hope.

At which level did this situation influence you, since music is, certainly, your primary means of expression, and since you were the most important person in the creation of this course in Brazil, at the Conservatorio Brasileiro de Musica in Rio de Janeiro?

Cecilia Conde (CC): There were many reasons for the creation of this course, and one of them was the political-social context. But before that, it is necessary to speak about the Art-education movement, and the influence of Herbert Read. His book - Education Through Arts - was a Bible for those who were in this movement, as well as the contact Liddy Mignone, a Brazilian Music Educator, had with Dalcroze and Edgar Willems . These were extremely important.

On the other hand, Villa Lobos, a very good friend of Liddy Mignone, believed in that the Chorus was a very important aspect in children's education and organized presentations of up to 7,000 children singing together in a soccer stadium!

So, from 1948, Mignone started the Music Education course, in the Conservatorio Brasileiro de Musica, and from then on, she prepared people to work with music in regular schools, institutions of special education, in rehabilitation hospitals and with people with psychiatric problems. Many of them, students of Mignone, started working in these institutions. I went to a psychiatric institution where for some time I employed music to work with them. Besides this, people with different disabilities were received at the Conservatorio, to present their music; their chorus; in short, their way of expressing themselves through music. These people were included in the presentations of "normal" people. All together!

In the 60's we were living through the development of Psychology and Psychoanalysis and of the "counter cultural" movement, which denied old ideas and was in search of new concepts. The military government was established in 1964. At that time I was using music to prepare people for acting in the theatre. As the spoken word was forbidden, we used the sung word and sounds that were the best way to express ideas and feelings. Corporal and musical laboratories prepared these people and, in this space, it was possible to express everything. And improvisation was a very important form of expression. Psychology influenced arts; and psychoanalysis contributed to the expression of people.

In this context Juliette Alvin and Benenzon came to Brazil and showed the power of music as therapy. Besides this, Dr. Jacques Niremberg, a psychiatrist and violinist started working in Mental Health, in Pinel - the Psychiatric Hospital were he worked as a psychiatrist.

In 1968, the First Music Therapy Symposium was held in the South of the country and the first Brazilian Music Therapy Associations were founded in the South and in Rio de Janeiro.

In this year Benenzon gave some Music Therapy small courses that were the main roots in the creation of the Music Therapy Bachelor's course at the Conservatorio.

LR: Who was with you in this project?

CC: We were three music educators, each one working in a different type of institution: I used music with psychiatric patients; Doris Hoyer de Carvalho developed her work in Special Education and Gabriele Souza e Silva is in the same Rehabilitation Hospital up to the present time. Benenzon gave his ideas and credentials as psychiatrist. Besides this, he had already published his first book about Music Therapy.

Then, in 1972 the first Bachelor's course was created.

LR: How was your previous musical experience employed, as music educator and as a musician, to create a course to prepare people to be a music therapist?

CC: I used not only my musical experience but also important theatre experience. In my practice of music with psychiatric patients I realized that to be a therapist, it is necessary to develop perception. So, I used my experience in the theatre, to help people to express themselves and to develop their perception, as much as possible.

And, this, perhaps is the most important aspect of the Music Therapy program in Rio, which is organized in three main areas: the scientific, the musical and this one called "Sensitivity". Its goal is to develop all the senses in order to make the students understand the patients better in the future. Through the theatre experiences it was possible to use sounds, music, and instruments to develop the senses and to express feelings in a search for the essence of life. Why not use these experiences to develop future music therapists?

Elements of Brazilian culture, such as, music, myths, fables and folk-tales are employed to mobilize the imagination and the feelings and through that people can express themselves and perceive others, exercising their perception, "learning" how it is possible to understand human beings better.

LR: You were born in a very musical family. Your uncle - Lorenzo Fernandez - was a conductor and one of the most well known classical music Brazilian composers, and your mother was a pianist and a singer. They founded the Conservatorio Brasileiro de Musica in 1936. How did this institution, primary musical, accept this course?

CC: It was a surprise for the institution. Initially, the musical teachers and musicians did not completely accept the course because it was very different from the others that the institution offered. Its curriculum was too pioneering, mixing music and medicine and doing advanced experiences such as those developed in the theatre. But, little by little, the institution supported us also because we had many important teachers in our team. The course was approved in principle and recognized by the Federal Government in 1978. This helped in this acceptance by the institution.

L.R. I used to say that one of the strongest roots of Brazilian Music Therapy is Music Education and, little by little, Music Therapy was being transformed into a health area. Do you agree with this?

CC: Yes, I agree with that but we can't forget that there is an intersection between education and health.

LR: 30 years after the creation of this first Bachelor's course there are now five more at this same level in Brazil; three more were created at the graduate level and the profession is increasing in many directions. The government is including Music Therapy in the concourses, with the goal of inserting music therapists in its institutions; the music therapist position was recently created in the Rio de Janeiro municipal district. Besides this, the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Government are including Music Therapy in their health institutions.

A project having the goal of regulating Music Therapy as an official profession is now being considered by the Federal Government. How do you feel seeing your efforts culminating in something so relevant as a contribution to the welfare of people?

CC: I feel like a mother who sees her child growing and maturing. We can see music becoming more and more necessary, emerging from the ground up to become a great protagonist, contributing to a better quality of life. As Brazil has multi-cultural roots I feel Brazilian Music Therapy could contribute to the development of Music Therapy in many other countries and I would like to see Brazilian Music Therapy lifted to a higher status.