Constructing a Two-Way Street: An Argument for Interdisciplinary Collaboration through an Ethnomusicological Examination of Music Therapy, Medical Ethnomusicology, and Williams Syndrome

Authors

  • Alexandria Heaton Carrico Florida State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v15i3.825

Keywords:

Williams Syndrome, music therapy, ethnomusicology, neurodiversity

Abstract

In this article, I investigate the ways in which methodological exchange between the fields of medical ethnomusicology and music therapy (MT) creates an interdisciplinary two-way street which, on the one hand enhances therapeutic practice by adopting an ethnographic and cultural understanding of disability, and on the other enriches ethnomusicological studies by ethnographically utilizing music therapy techniques. In support of this viewpoint, I offer ethnographic accounts of my time conducting research on music and Williams Syndrome and working alongside music therapists at the Whispering Trails summer camp for children with Williams Syndrome (WS) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ultimately, I argue that synergistic collaboration between the fields of medical ethnomusicology and music therapy will not only augment scholarship in these areas, but will also allow ethnomusicologists and music therapists to address issues of social justice and to promote accommodation and acceptance for disability within society.

Author Biography

Alexandria Heaton Carrico, Florida State University

Alexandria Carrico earned her Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from Florida State University and wrote her thesis on the musical experiences of individuals with Williams Syndrome at Whispering Trails, a summer camp sponsored by the Williams Syndrome Association. For the past two summers she has conducted research on music and Williams Syndrome at Whispering Trails and has continues to work with the Williams community. She is currently a second year doctoral student at FSU where she teaches World Music Cultures. She is an active member of the Society for Ethnomusicology and the Society for Musicology at Florida State University, for which she has served as the Visiting Scholar Coordinator and President.

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Published

2015-11-09

How to Cite

Carrico, A. H. (2015). Constructing a Two-Way Street: An Argument for Interdisciplinary Collaboration through an Ethnomusicological Examination of Music Therapy, Medical Ethnomusicology, and Williams Syndrome. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v15i3.825