Mentoring Apprentice Music Therapists for Peace and Social Justice through Community Music ...

292 Pages·2016·3.72 MB·English

Antioch University
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Dissertations & Theses
2009
Mentoring Apprentice Music Therapists for Peace
and Social Justice through Community Music
Therapy: An Arts-Based Study
Guylaine Vaillancourt
Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change
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Arts-Based Study" (2009).Dissertations & Theses. 8.
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MENTORING APPRENTICE MUSIC THERAPISTS
FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH
COMMUNITY MUSIC THERAPY:
AN ARTS-BASED STUDY

GUYLAINE VAILLANCOURT

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership & Change Program
of Antioch University
in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

May, 2009
This is to certify that the dissertation entitled:
MENTORING APPRENTICE MUSIC THERAPISTS
FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH
COMMUNITY MUSIC THERAPY:
AN ARTS-BASED STUDY

prepared by

Guylaine Vaillancourt

is approved in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Leadership & Change.

Approved by:

__________________________________________________________________
Dissertation Committee Chair: date
Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D.

__________________________________________________________________
Committee Member: date
Elizabeth Holloway, Ph. D.

__________________________________________________________________
Committee Member: date
Barbara Wheeler, Ph. D.

__________________________________________________________________
External Reader: date
Kenneth Aigen, D.A.
Copyright 2009 Guylaine Vaillancourt
All rights reserved
In memory of Josée Préfontaine,
a music therapy pioneer.
Acknowledgements
My very first thanks go to participants who generously engaged in the pilot
research study and continued into the current research. Their maturity, sensitivity, and
playfulness filled my heart and soul. Our mutual relationships have grown wonderfully
since we first met. Their contribution in advancing the field of community music therapy
is significant.
My deepest appreciation goes to Carolyn Kenny for her guiding, mentoring, and
inspiring presence that has illuminated my path for the last 20 years. You have a very
special place in my heart.
I am truly grateful to my dissertation committee for their feedback, which helped
me to find my own path: Elizabeth Holloway, Barbara Wheeler, Kenneth Aigen–thanks to
all. I also want to thank the Antioch University Leadership and Change faculties who
helped me throughout my doctoral studies: special thanks to Laurien Alexander, an
incredible leader and visionary; Deborah Baldwin, a wonderful walker; and Carol Baron,
who supported me through my “statistics challenge.” Thanks to Brynjulf Stige for the
great mentoring on community music therapy.
I could not have taken that journey without the unconditional support of my friends
and music therapists’ colleagues: Marianne Bargiel, Sylvie Boisvert, Chrystine Bouchard,
Anne-Marie Goulet, and Linda Labbé–who have followed every step of my last four years
of doctoral studies. Merci! Thanks to the new generation of music therapists who are
enlightening the practice: Aimée Gaudette-Leblanc, Christelle Jacket, Sarah Milis,
Marinet Driessen-Saint-Amand, and Louis Saint-Amand. Thanks to music therapists
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whose wonderful work has helped my own research process: Noele Bird, Maria Elena
Lopez Vinader, Theresa Merrill, Shelley Snow, and Catherine Warner.
A huge thanks to Rebecca Hosmer, my editor, who has done an incredible job on
my thesis; to Carl Neugebauer for editing my papers; to Tzu Ying Hwong and Mathew
Swerdloff for multimedia technical support; and to Sylvie Mailhot, graphic artist who
generoulsly helped me with artwork.
Words cannot render all the appreciation I have for my dearest friend, Eddy Auger,
who has been a very important person in my life with his presence, support, and wisdom.
My deepest appreciation and love go to my family: my daughter, Maude, for her
continuing support and for editing my English numerous times; my sisters,
Maryse and Julie; and my father, Guy, for their unconditional presence.
Finally, I am deeply grateful to Claude Côté, an exceptional musician and artist–
my life companion–whose presence, sensibility, and support have been of an inestimable
worth.
I would like to thank the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund for a generous
bursary.

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[MUSIC 1: Entering]
Abstract
Community music therapy (CoMT) is a creative approach that liberates expressions,
giving voice to groups of individuals of all age, status, and race who contribute, in their
own way, to build a better society. In this dissertation, I intend to reveal some of the
critical themes in the experiences and relationships that apprentice music therapists have
with community music therapy, peace, social justice, leadership, and mentorship.
Individual interviews were conducted with apprentice music therapists who participated in
a co-researchers’ group experience using arts-based research (ABR) and participatory
action research (PAR). Principles and foundations for a future model of practice in CoMT
for peace and social justice emerged through ABR and phenomenology.
This document contains embedded graphic files (JPG) and is accompanied by audio files
(MP3). The electronic version of the dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD
center http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements i
Abstract iii
Table of Contents iv
List of Figures viii
List of Tables ix
List of Audio Files x

Chapter I: Introduction 1
On Apprenticeship 1
The Ripple Effect 2
Overview of the Thesis 3
Purposes of the Proposed Study 4
Researcher Stance 5
On Socio-Cultural Influences 6
On Leadership 7
Leadership Social Contribution 8
Leadership and Service 9
Leadership and Qualitative Research 10
Gap in the Literature: Searching for Community Music Therapy 11
Epoche 13
Rationale for Investigating the Question 14
Researchable Question/Statement 15
Epistemological Approach 15
Scope of the Study 18
Assumptions of the Study 18
Future Implications 19
Strengths and Limitations of the Study 19
Multiple Researcher Roles 20
Being a Mentor 20
Qualitative Research Criteria 21
Knowles and Cole’s (2008) Criteria 22
Summary of Chapters 26

Chapter II: Literature Review 28
Community Music Therapy 28
Florence Tyson and music therapy in the community 30
Community music therapist and community musician 32
Peace 34
Music Therapists for Peace (MTP) 36
Teaching for peace and cultural issues 39
Multicultural music therapy studies 41
Social Justice 43
Leadership, social justice, and music 43
Teaching, leadership, and social justice 46
Feminist music therapy 48
iv
Music, sociology, and psychology 50
Music, peace, and social justice 55
Community Music Therapy, Peace, and Social Justice 63
Mentoring 70
Mentoring apprentice music therapists 70
Arts and mentoring 72
Mentoring and the ripple effect 73
Summary 73

Chapter III: Methodology 78
Music Therapy Research 78
Art and science 78
Music therapy research: Quantitative-qualitative 78
Research paradigms 80
Choosing a Methodology 82
Qualitative Inquiry 84
Participatory Action Research 85
Participatory action research using arts for social justice actions 88
Participatory action research and music therapy research 90
A participatory action research and arts-based research pilot study 91
Phenomenology 94
Transcendental phenomenology 96
Phenomenology and sources of meaning 97
Phenomenology: Thematic reflection 98
Phenomenology and music therapy studies 98
Arts-based Research 99
Arts-based research and music 102
Arts-based research and music therapy research 105
Design Strategies 105
Selecting Participants 106
Data Gathering 107
Data Analysis 108
Ethical Issues 111

Chapter IV: Co-Researchers Narratives 113
Phases of the Study 114
Examplars of Community Music Therapy and Pilot Study Session 115
Community music therapy in action 116
A co-researchers’ group session 117
Research Group Experience 119
Group experience 120
Group process 121
Group support 125
Professional development 128
Personal development 129
Presenting the research study at conferences 129
v