Toward an Ethnographic Model of Disability in the Ethnomusicology of Autism

Abstract

This essay proposes an ethnographic model of disability in contradistinction to existing social and medical models. Building from an ethnomusicological study of the Artism Ensemble, a neurodiverse music performance collective comprising children on the autism spectrum, their coparticipating parents, and professional musicians of diverse musicultural lineage, it discusses issues of autistic self-advocacy, Disability Studies and rights, the anthropology of autism, and epistemological and pragmatic debates and consequences of competing autism discourses and philosophies. The essay argues that musical projects like Artism hold the capacity to contribute productively and meaningfully to the causes of autistic self-advocacy and quality of life, transforming public perceptions of autism from the customary tropes of deficit and disorder to alternate visions of wholeness, ability, and acceptance. Artism is also addressed from a critical vantage point that demonstrates its partial entrenchment in some of the very same negating constructs it ostensibly resists and defies.

Developing post-ableist music therapy: An autoethnography exploring the counterpoint of a therapist experiencing illness/disability

“…There are other definitions of disability in the wider literature, such as the capabilities approach (Mitra, 2006), the affirmation model (Swain & French, 2000), and the ethnographic model of disability (Bakan, 2015). In MT, Rickson (2014) used the affirmative model of disability, which doesn't deny negative aspects of impairment but recognises that it is not always undesirable, even valuable, in her research with young people with intellectual disability.…”

“…To further demonstrate how misunderstandings unfold in the literature, I discuss two papers which draw on disability studies, one from a MT perspective (Metell & Stige, 2015) and one from an ethnomusicology perspective (M. . The field of ethnomusicology is tasked with creating and sustaining diverse cultures, such as neuro-diverse musical communities (M. Bakan, 2015), without inciting them to conform, or measuring them against other cultural norms. Bakan's ( , 2015 ethnomusicology work with children with autism spectrum conditions 68 , which he links with disability studies, had a similar approach to some MT orientations in that he cultivated an environment of "free, unstructured improvised music-play in which the staff musicians were tasked to 'follow the children's lead '" (p.119, 2014).…”

“…The field of ethnomusicology is tasked with creating and sustaining diverse cultures, such as neuro-diverse musical communities (M. Bakan, 2015), without inciting them to conform, or measuring them against other cultural norms. Bakan's ( , 2015 ethnomusicology work with children with autism spectrum conditions 68 , which he links with disability studies, had a similar approach to some MT orientations in that he cultivated an environment of "free, unstructured improvised music-play in which the staff musicians were tasked to 'follow the children's lead '" (p.119, 2014). They were also advised to resist the urge to fix encountered musical problems and play in ways that defy their common-sense musical sensibilities to allow space for the children's music culture.…”

“…Within PAMT performance is seen as a potential way for disabled people to share their music and extend what it means to make music. Disabled peoples' music need not only be private and may, when performed, have the ability to challenge public perception and engender appreciation (M. Bakan, 2015). However, it is imperative that the players and therapist assess this to be potentially beneficial before the performance occurs.…”

What strategies did I use, as a music therapy student, to promote child-led cooperative play in an inclusive education setting?

“…The ethnographic model goes one step further to consider disability from the perspective of the impacted individual. It attempts to shift public perceptions to focus on the individual's abilities and strengths, again moving towards societal acceptance of diversity (Bakan, 2015).…”