Open AccessDemonstrating Sustainability in the Practices of Music Therapists: Reflections from Bangladesh
Author(s) -
Lucy Bolger,
Katrina Skewes McFerran
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
voices
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1504-1611
DOI - 10.15845/voices.v13i2.715
Subject(s) - sustainability , music therapy , warrant , work (physics) , process (computing) , psychology , traditional music , engineering ethics , sociology , public relations , psychotherapist , political science , computer science , business , engineering , musical , visual arts , art , mechanical engineering , ecology , finance , biology , operating system
Sustainability is a concept that has been implied but not overtly discussed in the music therapy literature. Nonetheless, the literature does describe projects that work towards self-supporting music projects and capacity building. In this article, a music therapist's contribution to an international development project in rural Bangladesh is used to illustrate how music therapists can embed sustainability principles into their practice. We propose that a commitment to sustainability involve time, collaboration and realistic expectations and that these are relevant throughout the planning and process of programs that work towards the achievement of independent music outcomes. It is our contention that principles of sustainability are essential to contemporary music therapists' practice and warrant further explicit discussion.