Speaking for Ourselves

Abstract

Since the advent of autism as a diagnosed condition in the 1940s, the importance of music in the lives of autistic people has been widely observed and researched. Articles on musical savants, extraordinary feats of musical memory and pitch recognition, and music-based therapies and interventions abound in the autism literature. Meanwhile, music historians have posited autism-centered explanatory models to account for the unique musical artistry of everyone from Glenn Gould to “Blind Tom” Wiggins. Given all of this attention, it is surprising how infrequently autistic people have been asked to account for how they themselves make and experience music, or for why it matters to them that they do. In Speaking for Ourselves, renowned ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan does just that, engaging in deep conversations—some spanning the course of years—with ten fascinating and very different individuals who share two basic things in common: an autism spectrum diagnosis and a life in which music plays a central part. These conversations offer profound insights into the intricacies and intersections of music, autism, neurodiversity, and life in general, not from an autistic point of view but rather from several different autistic points of view. They invite readers to partake of a rich tapestry of words, ideas, images, and musical sounds (on the companion website) that speak to both the diversity of autistic experience and the common humanity we all share.

Exploring the functions of music in the lives of young people on the autism spectrum

“…The personal nature of the project may have been off-putting for some individuals, particularly as all interviews were conducted face-to-face. Future research could consider using a range of interview methods including videotelephony, telephone interviews, and web chat (see Bakan, 2018).…”

“…While previous research makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the importance of music in the lives of people on the autism spectrum (e.g. Allen et al, 2009; Bakan, 2018; Quintin, 2019; Quintin et al, 2011), several gaps in the literature still exist. First, there is very little qualitative research which specifically explore the functions of music in the lives of autistic people.…”

The continuous in motion: music and/as science

“…Autism is not a disease, but simply a state of being, a neurodivergence, a fundamental aspect of identity that cannot be removed even if that were desirable. It turns out that music and autism are very common partners (Molnar-Szakacs and Heaton 2012; Bakan 2018). Add computers into the mix and I really seem to be something of a cliché!…”

Understanding the lived music listening experiences of adults on the autism spectrum

“…In this study, we seek to address the lack of literature on the music listening experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. The literature on the musicking experiences of persons on the autism spectrum primarily focuses on children's experiences (Bakan et al, 2018;Epstein et al, 2020;Janzen & Thaut, 2018;Markworth, 2014;Reschke-Hernández, 2012;Wagener et al, 2021;Whipple, 2004). Consequently, literature that focuses particularly on the music listening experiences of adults on the autism spectrum is sparse (Allen & Heaton, 2010;Wiorkowski, 2012).…”