Who Is Being Silenced?: Sociocultural and Privilege Dynamics Within Music Therapy Education

Abstract

This phenomenological study brought a critical lens to the views and contexts of seven music therapists. Semi-structured interviews examined participants’ experiences of the sociocultural and privilege dynamics within music therapy education. Purposive sampling allowed the researcher to center the perspectives of participants who collectively described themselves with intersections of the following identities: black, white, Latinx, Chinese, South East Asian, male, female, non-binary, disabled, non-disabled, straight, pansexual, and one self-identified dyke. An iterative inductive analysis revealed several emergent themes related to inequity and the decentering of minoritized voices within music therapy: the theme A Very White Lens focused on a Eurocentric approach in education and practice that, by failing to acknowledge and center a variety of perspectives, reduces equitable access to both students and clients; Silenced Experiences of Minoritized Voices included participant experiences of anti-Blackness, white privilege, and white fragility within music therapy; When Does Culture Matter? captured responses to and the dangers of an approach that ignores cultural differences; and How We Talk About Culture included concerns and suggestions about the structure of the discourse around cultural intersections, privilege, and race in music therapy education and practice. These findings bring to light some of the structures of power and privilege at the core of music therapists’ education and training. Themes highlighted in this paper center the experiences of individuals who belong to minoritized populations and in so doing, emphasize the need to listen to a greater diversity of voices in the conversation about equity and inclusion in music therapy.