Playing in the Borderlands: The Transformative Possibilities of Queering Music Therapy Pedagogy

Abstract

Music therapy pedagogy has traditionally been defined by rigid roles and structures, including fixed teacher/learner identity categories, systematized hierarchies of knowledge and communication, cultural and musical gatekeeping practices, and standardized musical, clinical, and professional competencies. These structures represent narrowly defined borders, which limit who enters the profession, how we understand human variability, and whose knowledges are acceptable within the field of music therapy.
 This article challenges educational stakeholders to destabilize long-held oppressive categorizations and move into generative liminal spaces as an opportunity to experience radically inclusive relationships. We believe that these relationships are key to the transformative learning process of understanding ourselves, others, and the worlds we inhabit. We engage queer theory literature to establish key tenets of “queering” as an active practice applicable beyond gender and sexuality to include other socially constructed identity categories such as race and disability. We then move beyond identity categories themselves to address systemic educational and institutional practices. We draw from Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of borderlands as a generative space of liminality, deconstructing the borders that limit full, authentic access to and within spaces of teaching, learning, practicing, communicating, working, relating, musicking, moving, and living; Maria Lugones’ concept of “world” traveling, loving perception, and playfulness; Luce Irigaray’s concept of wonder; and Carolyn Kenny’s writings on the field of play that illustrate that when we play in music therapy, there is a need for containers and boundaries that are open to multiple, fluid ways of being and ways of being in relationship.

“It’s Not What’s Done, But Why It’s Done”

“…Runswick-Cole ( 2014) suggests that one way to disrupt this dichotomy is to avoid reliance on fixed subject positions, "moving from a reliance on identity politics towards a politics of identity that steps away from essentialist claims (Ruffalo, 2009)," (Runswick-Cole, 2014, p. 1118. A similar discussion around resisting fixed categories can be found in the queering music therapy literature (see Fansler et al, 2019).…”

“…This could range from the language we use to articulate our practice to the way we refer participants into music therapy provision; from the musical content of our sessions to the power dynamics between participants in the room. While there are some authors exploring these ideas in relation to music therapy (Baines, 2013;Bakan, 2014;Fansler et al, 2019;Gross, 2018;Hadley, 2013Hadley, , 2014Metell, 2014Metell, , 2019Pickard, 2019, in press;Rolvsjord, 2014;Shaw, 2019;Tsiris, 2013Tsiris, , 2018Young, 2020), we propose that these considerations should be interrogated more widely throughout the profession. For example, while the politics of neurodiversity originated from Autistic advocates, this reframing of deficits to differences has resonated with many advocacy groups representing people with divergent bodies or minds.…”

Anti-oppressive pedagogy as an opportunity for consciousness raising in the music therapy profession: A critical disability studies perspective

“…Taking a critical disability studies lens to researching pedagogical approaches brings to light the ableist and normative potential of academia (Bolt and Penketh, 2016; Dolmage, 2017; Liasidou, 2014; Saltes, 2020). There is a wealth of research which demonstrates the elitist and ableist traditions of the academy (Dolmage, 2017) which seeks to perpetuate the normative divide (Mitchell, 2016) between those it educates and the populations they serve (Baines, 2021; Fansler et al, 2019; Gottschewski, 2020; Hadley, 2013; Pickard, 2020a; Rolvsjord, 2014). One potential response to this problematic narrative and tradition is to nurture consciousness raising through anti-oppressive pedagogy.…”

“…Fansler et al’s (2019) important article contributes to the development of a vital conversation about queering the music therapy curriculum, building on the work undertaken at the ‘Critical Pedagogies in Arts Therapies’ conference series to ‘disrupt picturesque forms of arts therapies education’ (Lepere, 2019: 294). Fansler et al (2019) usefully define the notion of critical pedagogy that will be discussed in this article:A central tenet of critical pedagogy is that education is a political act; that is, how we are taught (pedagogical approach), who we are taught by (representation), what we are taught (theories, texts, music, discourse, language used), and even if we are taught at all (being taught to read, for example, was withheld from enslaved Africans across the diaspora and the poor in Brazil in order to maintain oppressive relations of power), are all politically laden and most often reinforce existing power relations. (p. 4)…”

Report on the Current State of Practice and Training of Music Therapists Working With Adolescents

“…For example, intersectional identity theories (Crenshaw, 1991;Vaillancourt, 2009) may usefully expand beyond the white culture binaries assumed within normative psychological models of identity development such as Erikson (1968) and Piaget (Piaget & Inhelder, 1958). Another possibility could be to accompany the teaching of diagnostic thinking with critical debate about the validity of such constructions and ensure that music therapy training includes both dominant views, perspectives from those with lived experiences, and a consideration of who constructs societal hierarchies (Fansler et al, 2019). By teaching emerging theories and social movements, we might find that music therapists also feel competent to move into new work domains beyond traditional institutions and be able to secure ongoing positions because they have knowledge that suits more diverse contexts and approaches.…”