Miscellaneous Musical Musings

There has been a lot of discussion in the music therapy community about how to best serve our clients of color as well as exploring the history of a lot of the music we use in our practice. A lot of American songs are rooted in the minstrel show tradition. It can be disheartening to find out that songs previously thought to be fairly innocent or silly were meant to demean and dehumanize people. As a therapist that means that I am working to broaden my repertoire so that I am not singing songs that are hurtful to people or so that I can offer choices when I am not comfortable singing a song. It also means making some nuanced decisions. What may be appropriate in one setting may not be appropriate in another.

On a less weighty note, more time at home has led to more time being able to experiment with recording. I’m hoping to be able to send guided relaxation and soothing music to my newsletter subscribers soon! It’s been a fun process to learn to edit and make things sound even better!

I had the chance to participate in a harp recital/open mic this weekend. Conferencing apps aren’t the ideal platform for music making but it was great to see many of my harp friends, hear some fun tunes, and perform a little. My musical self has been neglected a bit during the pandemic.

Do you have thoughts on music that you would like to share? I’d love to hear more about it! Drop me a line