Feminist Music Therapy Pedagogy: A Survey of Music Therapy Educators

Abstract

This study surveyed 188 music therapy educators regarding their views and use of feminist pedagogy and feminist music therapy. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine how many music therapy educators used feminist pedagogy and (b) to determine if there was a relationship between the use of feminist pedagogy and academic rank of the participants. Seventy-two participants responded to this study, with 69 participants included for data analysis. Stake and Hoffman's (2000) feminist pedagogy survey was adapted for this study, examining four subscales of feminist pedagogy: (a) participatory learning, (b) validation of personal experience/development of confidence, (c) political/ social activism, and (d) critical thinking/open-mindedness. The results revealed that 46% (n=32) of participants identified as feminist music therapists and 67% (n=46) of participants identified as using feminist pedagogy. Results of a mixed analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant difference within the four survey subscales (p<.0001), no significant difference (p=.32) for academic rank, and no significant interaction (p=.08) of academic rank and the four survey subscales. Tukey's post hoc analysis of the data indicated that the survey subscale measuring political activism (p<.0001) was significantly lower than the other three survey subscales. In addition, a qualitative analysis on open-ended responses is also included. Discussion of the results, limitations, and areas for future research are addressed.

Becoming a Reflexive Practitioner: Exploring Music Therapy Students’ Learning Experiences with Participatory Role-Play in a Norwegian Context

“…In general, there are few empirical attempts to understand the professional development of students trained in art therapy, music therapy or dance movement therapy (Orkibi, 2013). Educational research in the field of music therapy has specifically included focus on the use of musical instruments and musical skills (Kennedy, 2001;Silverman, 2011), supervision (Forinash, 2001;Tanguay, 2008), clinical practice development (Madsen & Kaiser, 1999;Wheeler, 2002), models for self-experiential learning and psychotherapy in education (Gardstrom & Jackson, 2011;Murphy, 2007;Scheiby & Pedersen, 1999), reflexive journaling (Barry & O'Callaghan, 2008) and research on feminist pedagogy in music therapy (Hahna & Schwantes, 2011). Role-play as a form of learning in music therapy education is associated with various domains, such as preparation for practicum placements or in the supervision of practice (Goodman, 2011;Murphy, 2007;Tims, 1989).…”

Women's issues and music therapists: A look forward

“…Music therapy work building on this since has included a collection of writings representing diverse understandings of feminisms and touching upon such areas as theory, practice, research, supervision, and pedagogy (Hadley, 2006). Further works have included feminist music therapy practice with survivors of violence (Curtis, 2007(Curtis, , 2008(Curtis, , 2012Curtis & Harrison, 2006), a feminist approach to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) (Hahna, 2004), feminist music therapy pedagogy (Hahna, 2010(Hahna, , 2011Hahna & Schwantes, 2011), and feminism and anti-oppressive practice in music therapy (Baines, 2012).…”

“…A survey has since been conducted, however, of American music therapy educators, examining their views and use of feminist pedagogy and feminist music therapy (Hahna & Schwantes, 2011). Results indicated that a majority (67%, n= 32) used "methods congruent with feminist pedagogy, however, most music therapists did not identify themselves as being feminist music therapists" (p. 307).…”

“…Hahna (2011) herself indicated her own similar issues: "It took me a long time before I could own the label feminist and I now understand this identity formation to be a journey" (p. 239). Ultimately, Hahna and Schwantes (2011) concluded that feminism has much to offer music therapy in practice and education, adding further, "What are the ethical implications of attempting to remain value-neutral in a society that is not value-neutral regarding gender (or age, class, culture, sociopolitical status, ability, sexual orientation, religion, etc.)?" (p.…”

Effects of the Healing Beats Program among University Students after Exposure to a Source of Psychological Stress: A Randomized Control Trial

“…Furthermore, slow music stimulates the parasympathetic nerves and stabilizes the autonomic nervous system [ 21 ]. Thus far, however, previous studies on listening to music for stress relief have been limited to the use of existing sound sources, such as classical music [ 22 ], relaxation music [ 23 ], white noise [ 24 ], or preferred music [ 25 ]. Moreover, most research and design processes to verify the effects of music listening on stress are limited to pre- and post- experimental treatment comparisons, which does not indicate the time series effect of the intervention.…”