Complexities, Difficulties, and Dissonances

I was today-minus-3-days years old when I first heard about the Disability Day of Mourning. This is a day for remembering the victims of filicide, specifically victims who were people with disabilities. It started in 2012 and is held annually on March 1st. I’m grateful to music therapist Jessica Leza for my introduction to this Day.

For the past several years March 1st has also been World Music Therapy Day, a day for the international music therapy community to usher in awareness of the profession and the impact of music therapists. I’m not exactly sure when World Music Therapy Day started, or by whom. According to this website it began in 2016 and was launched by the World Federation for Music Therapy (and the WFMT certainly is highly involved).

There’s been discussion on social media over the past couple of days about the dissonance felt in having both of these fall on the same day. Important discussions. Uncomfortable discussions. Should the WFMT consider moving the date of World Music Therapy Day? Though not my call (for reasons identified below), it does seem to me that in light of the new information this warrants a discussion, listening to key stakeholder groups, a decision, and a statement with rationale. 

But I’m going to focus on a different side of this conversation, one I’ve not yet seen articulated that I think warrants consideration. And that is on the value of awareness days, specifically World Music Therapy Day. There’s one argument I have seen that I’m wrestling with, and that’s the notion that this is a day when music therapists simply celebrate ourselves. I can see how it might be perceived that way, with the pictures, positive posts, and “rah-rah isn’t music therapy great” kind of vibe. But I’d like to offer some thoughts about the underlying value of World Music Therapy Day. 

First, being a music therapist is hard work. It’s emotionally hard, physically hard, and (similar to others in helping and service-oriented professions) many music therapists are not paid enough. Additionally, music therapists may be lonely. It’s common for a music therapist to be the only music therapist at their place of employment. Or maybe this is someone who’s trying to build a practice in a community where music therapy does not yet exist. There can be a sense of isolation in a line of work where no one really gets what you do. So having a day when we band together as a community, share in a common passion and pursuit, and feel connected to others around the globe—that opportunity to feel part of a community can help mitigate these feelings and keep us going.

Second, days like World Music Therapy Day bring important and necessary awareness to the work of music therapists. We are a small profession, and it can be a challenge to have a voice or at times even a seat at the table. Just yesterday there was a small number of music therapists advocating hard for inclusion within a group of non-music therapists, inclusion that would have been beneficial for the professionals in the state and the clients they do (or could) work with. But now we need to retreat. Why? Because of one group with more numbers that we have—with more numbers they can write more letters, which gives them a bigger voice and in essence bullies us into submission. So now, despite the passion, willingness to collaborate, and commitment of those music therapists yesterday, we need to retreat. Which is one of the reasons I think having a day, a week, or a month to recognize and bring awareness to the field and profession of music therapy is so valuable. It provides a centering point for advocacy efforts, and particularly efforts that include more voices, which in this instance is the international music therapy community.      

In writing this, I wonder if these two points, that of the importance of community and advocacy, are perhaps shared between those in the disability and music therapy communities who participate in these types of awareness days. That said, even with this in common should World Music Therapy Day be moved? I’m not in a position to say, not because of my lack of direct involvement with the WFMT, but because I have more listening and learning to do.

A final closing thought—we humans are complex beings, capable of complex, difficult, and contrary emotions. So is there room to hold space for both and keep the same day? Perhaps….but again, it’s not for me to say. I’m neurotypical and non-disabled. There are other more important voices to hear from on this issue.

As with all my blog posts, I’m open to your comments, thoughts, and further discussions. I’d again like to thank Jessica Yeza for her thought-provoking article.

Tagged as: Advocacy, awareness days, disability, disability day of mourning, mtadvocacy, what is advocacy