Title: Creating Music Cultures in the Schools: A Perspective from Community Music Therapy
Abstract: Rickson, D. & Skewes McFerran, K. (2014). Creating Music Cultures in the Schools: A Perspective from Community Music Therapy. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers.When I volunteered to write this review, it was with some apprehension, as only a small proportion of my work as a music therapist is in school settings. I therefore wondered whether I was the best person for the job. However, I was drawn to it by my desire to work more collaboratively with the schools I do work in and felt this book might offer some insight and practical guidelines into this area of work.This book is the result of an Australasian collaboration between New Zealand Registered Music Therapist, Dr Daphne Rickson and Australian Registered Music Therapist Professor Katrina Skewes McFerran, and collaboration is at the core of the music therapy approach which is explored in this text. To reinforce their philosophy of collaboration, the authors use the term 'player' throughout the book to refer to anyone who is actively engaged and committed to music programmes in schools (p.1), which includes children, staff and others. It is a play on words (if you will excuse the pun), with acknowledgment of its musical meaning as well as its other definitions. They also wanted a term that would reduce the sense of hierarchy, which it does very well. This is just one example of the collaborative language adopted by the authors. There are no 'shoulds' in this text, rather examples and suggestions of 'coulds'.The book can be divided into three sections. Chapters 1-3 set the scene with regard to creating and developing a culture of music in schools. Chapter 1 outlines a vision, introducing philosophies and values which underpin the work, from both a musical and educational perspective. Chapter 2 explores the 'bigger picture', and puts forward a rationale as to why developing a culture of music in schools is so important. It starts by contextualising the work with regard to international perspectives on health and disability, human rights, and social justice. It then considers relevant theories of learning and developments in music therapy. This is followed by sections on understanding the context of contemporary schools, the distribution of power in schools, empowerment, and music in schools. Chapter 3 outlines the protocol, which encompasses principles of musical engagement, identified by the authors as mutuality, respect, empowerment, and commitment, and a model of action and reflection. The model of action is divided into five cycles: getting a feel for the system; providing examples and experimenting with what we can do; implementing potential programmes; embedding music in the school community; and considering sustainability. Chapters 4-10 present a series of vignettes exploring the use of the model in a variety of different school contexts, each from the point of view of a different 'player'. The final two chapters focus on evaluation and conclusions.While the book is well written and presented, there are a few editing issues which I feel let it down slightly. Firstly is the number of typos I came across while reading - 12 in total - which seems unusually high. Secondly, the tables are inconsistently labelled. Table 1 is labelled and referred to; there does not appear to be a Table 2; and Table 3 is referred to but not labelled. However, these were only small annoyances for what was, on the whole, a very interesting, stimulating and enjoyable read.Fundamentally, what Rickson & McFerran do in this book is to challenge music therapists to examine how they practise and offer an alternative approach. I certainly felt challenged reading the first few chapters, reflecting on my own practice in relation to the issues of power and inequity, and identifying in my mind the barriers to adopting this approach, wondering to myself 'how can I make this work?' However, the authors seem to pre-empt my anxieties, suggesting this model encourages practitioners to build on the foundations of traditional practices by extending, expanding, and transcending them (p 35). …
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 36
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