Music and Therapy

 Feminism is important and I think as a profession, music therapists undervalue it. Predominately female, we buy into the idea that we’re above gender inequalities. It’s a non-issue for us. Sure, we serve clients from marginalized populations - the elderly, the poor, those with mental health problems, the mentally or physically disabled. The list goes on and on. But as a population we aren’t marginalized. Girls run the world… Or at least the profession.

‘Glass ceiling’ is a term many are familiar with. There’s often talk of phenomenal women “shattering” glass ceilings. Essentially, the ‘glass ceiling’ refers to the unofficially acknowledged barriers that prevent the ascension of women and other minority populations into the top jobs.

But how does this relate to music therapy which is predominately female? Cue the ‘glass escalator’. When men enter female dominated professions, rather than encountering a glass ceiling due to their minority status as expected, they receive advantages and opportunities that promote them in their careers. It’s like they are on an escalator ushering them to the top. This occurs due to a myriad of reasons: they’re seen as more competent, they’re expected to want to advance, they bond with their male supervisors better, and they identify with the more masculine aspects of their job.

Only 12% of music therapists are male. However, men

comprised 24% of music therapists with doctoral degrees in 2004

held 27% of all music therapy faculty positions in 2004

authored 30% of the articles in the Journal of Music Therapy (JMT) from 2000-2005

authored 29% of the articles in Journal of Music Therapy from 2011-2015

serve as chief editors in 2 out of the 8 peer-reviewed journals published in English that have ‘music therapy’ in their title

comprise 31.25% (10/32) of the current Journal of Music Therapy editorial board

Furthermore, Edwards and Hadley found that the average male music therapist makes approximately $11,000 more annually than their female counterparts. (This was in their 2007 article Expanding Music Therapy Practice: Incorporating the Feminist Frame. It’s also where I got the first 3 statistics). Considering the the median salary for a music therapist in 2015, was $48,000, $11,000 is a LARGE sum.

However despite these discrepancies, many music therapists feel that gender bias and discrimination done not have an impact on their daily or professional lives. In a 2013 study, Sandra Curtis found that 46% of female respondents reported it having no impact. 46% of female respondents… They argued that progress had been made and that believing it had an impact was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Based on the numbers and personal experiences (Have you not had a male colleague initially seen as more competent?) I argue that music therapist need feminism. Gender inequalities exist. Just because we’re female-dominated doesn’t mean we’re exempt. Perhaps it means we need feminism more. But that’s just my opinion.

(via paperbackward)

When Meds Fail: A Case for Music Therapy, Tim Ringgold, MT-BC

Healing Connects Through Music Therapy, Jodi Winnwalker, LCSW, MT-BC

Music–the Beautiful Lie, Daniel Goldschmidt, MT-BC

Moved by Music, Jenni Rook, MT-BC, LCPC