Faith and Music: A Personal Exploration of the Implication of Religious Faith in Music Therapy, within an Intercultural, Group Music-Making Context

Abstract

In July 2008 Music for Peaceful Minds (MPM), a peripatetic music therapy service in post-conflict northern Uganda, was established.  To date, MPM serves four schools and two orphanages with a specially-trained peripatetic Ugandan music counsellor. Weekly music therapy groups are run, each consisting of six children, referred by orphanage or school staff. The mixed- and single sex- groups run for a term (10-12 weeks).  They are split into age ranges of 4-11 and 12-18.

This is a clinical discussion drawing on my personal experience as a music therapist in Uganda in 2008.  It is not intended to be a theoretical or research paper and as such does not contain a thorough literature review. I will be considering various religious aspects of an English therapist working in northern Uganda, focusing on the music that was made in sessions.  I will discuss the questions of how important it is for a therapist to have a shared culture, faith or musical background with her clients, and how a language barrier can affect the therapy.