A conversation about Music and Autism: Speaking for Ourselves

Abstract

In this conversation, music therapist Kenneth Aigen interviews ethnomusicologist Michael Bakan on the subject of Bakan’s recent book, Music and Autism: Speaking for Ourselves. Numerous topics and issues are addressed, from autistic self-advocacy and neurodiversity to comparative considerations of music therapy-based vs. ethnomusicological approaches to engaging with autistic people through music. In the course of the dialogue, Bakan chronicles the various stages of his work in this area, from the Music-Play Project, to the Artism Ensemble, to the “Speaking for Ourselves” book project. Unifying all of this work has been a consistent emphasis on endeavouring to understand people on their own terms—as experts at being who they are—rather than on trying to change people through therapeutic interventions. This perspective is ultimately revealed as both a fundamental distinction and a powerful point of convergence between ethnomusicological and music therapy-centred approaches.