Music Therapists and Social Justice

Interacting With Institutions

Abstract

In this article, I present a condensed form of research I undertook for a student assignment on how music therapists navigate working in institutions to promote social justice. My literature review highlights approaches in which music therapists integrate social justice into their work. Within the confines of this search, I did not find literature addressing how music therapists navigate a social justice agenda within institutions as their primary focus: this is the gap in the field in which I aimed to position my research. I interviewed five Nordoff and Robbins music therapists, coded my transcriptions, and developed categories and themes. Through the interviews, I found that my participants view allyship through music as valuable social justice promotion, as well as interactions beyond music including presentations, spontaneous conversations, and learning from staff. The extent to which these music therapists felt able to engage in social justice promotion was dependent on relationships within institutions, and they considered when it was less appropriate to speak out, often because of their privilege. I hope this research provides insight for the profession and prompts further exploration of how music therapists can promote social justice within institutions, particularly centring the experiences of those from marginalised groups.