Music Therapy Commons^™

Expressive Arts, Social Circus, And Community Music Therapy: A Literature Review, Tyler Sabourin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis explores the broad ways in which the expressive arts therapies can be applied with a community focus. Particular attention is paid to the community-centered goals and the role of performance in social circus as they relate to the current practice and goals of community music therapy. Through an exploration of social circus models, the connection between social circus and therapeutic theater is described, and emerging literature that links the two is analyzed. The field of community music therapy is explored, as are its theoretical similarities to social circus. The current limitations on research of mixed-modality practices which …

Argo Ergo Sum - I Perform, Therefore I Am: An Art-Based Community Engagement Project, Emily Eckel

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This community engagement project set out to explore how the musicianship identity impacts a musician’s overall sense of self through participation in a mental health focused community orchestra. Currently, in the field of music therapy there is little emphasis on using orchestral music in active music making or connections between music and musicianship identity. This researcher combined the theories of community music therapy and resource-oriented music therapy to develop approaches to this investigation. Phase one consisted of researcher journaling and visual art making prior to and following orchestra rehearsals and one concert. Phase two consisted of a group mandala with …

Performing Identities, Performing Possibilities: A Music-Centered And Relational Perspective On Performance In Community Music Therapy And Music Education, Elizabeth Mitchell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

All humans are born with musical capacity, yet many individuals have minimal access to active music-making and its affordances. This integrated-article dissertation explores the impact of participation in musical performance as it pertains to self-identity and relationship for participants who face barriers in accessing artistic engagement. Drawing upon music-centered theory from music therapy, this research celebrates the fundamentally performed and relational nature of musicking and the self and explores implications for music therapy and music education.

The first two articles explore the “Coffee House”, a community music therapy event at an adolescent mental health facility, through the voices of youth …

Community Music Therapy And Participatory Performance: Case Study Of A Coffee House, Elizabeth Mitchell

Music Faculty Publications

This case study research explores the impact of a musical performance event—the Coffee House—held bi-annually at an adolescent mental health treatment facility in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Any client or staff member is welcomed to perform at this event, which is organized by the facility’s music therapist and framed here as an example of community music therapy. Drawing upon Turino’s (2008) ethnomusicological perspective on performance, I will argue that the Coffee House’s success within this context is due to its participatory ethos, wherein success is primarily defined by the act of participation. Here, performance takes place within an inclusive and supportive …