(Un)Learning from Experience: An Exposition of Minoritized Voices on Music Therapy Training

Abstract

Having met teaching at a local university around inclusive healthcare practice, the authors came together to write a reflective exploration of our experiences as minoritized music therapy trainees in the United Kingdom (UK). This subject has received limited attention in music therapy publications, in particular with the attention to the intersectionality of multiple and/or different axes of oppression. Originally from Hong Kong, Denise came to the UK a decade ago; she shared her experiences in navigating incidents of discrimination and microaggression while living in the UK. Francis considered how their experience of training was impacted by their positioning as someone transgender (trans), queer, and disabled, and by other aspects of their life history. We devised an interview schedule upon which to base a shared discussion and identified themes arising, which we analyze here. The themes discussed are self, self-experience & self-presentation; insider–outsider; inequity & minoritized labor; landscape of minority stress; power & institutional culture; fear & negative impacts; communication & feedback; positive experiences; and personal growth & reflexivity. In particular, we emphasize the importance of reflexivity both at the trainers’ individual level and the level of the wider training institution. This requires a commitment to sustained learning and improvement within and beyond training across the profession.