A Tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Music Therapist working in Johannesburg with young offenders

Dr. Michael Viega is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at the State University of New York, New Paltz. He has been a music therapy clinician for over a decade, working primarily with children and adolescents in urban areas who have faced extreme adversity and trauma in their lives. In addition, he is a Fellow in the Association of Music and Imagery. Dr. Viega has researched and presented extensively on the implications and applications of Hip Hop culture in music therapy. His dissertation, entitled “Loving my Butterfly Wings and me: A Study of Hip-Hop Songs Written by Adolescents in Music Therapy,” explored and analyzed songs written by adolescents who have had adverse childhood experiences and who identify with Hip Hop culture. He was also a keynote speaker at the 2013 “One Mic, One Movement: Advances in Hip Hop Therapy and Hip Hop Psychology.” He contributed two chapters on Hip Hop culture and music therapy for Susan Hadley and George Yancy’s (2011) seminal text, “The Therapeutic Uses of Rap and Hip Hop.” Dr. Viega strives to make Hip Hop accessible to people who might not readily identify with its culture, while also providing practical applications of its creative forces within a music therapy setting.