Abstract

For more than fifteen years, I have worked as a music therapist, usually engaging with a diverse clientele. My profession is a practice of leadership, yet there are very few studies relating music therapy to leadership. This paper explores music therapy as a creative approach to leadership. Moreover, it focuses on music therapy leadership in a multicultural context that represents an opportunity for leading a social justice movement. This essay is certainly not exhaustive and does not have the pretension to cover all aspects of the cultural issues in the leadership, therapeutic and music arenas. This is a revised version of a paper I wrote for one of my professors in my doctoral program in Leadership and Change. The literature I have used from Leadership Studies is considered to be core in this program and I realize that there is leadership literature in other languages. But much of it has not been translated into English or French. I am also reflecting upon my own experience which is influenced by my Western music and music therapy trainings. This represents both strengths and limitations when it comes to leadership in the multicultural area.

One of the goals of this paper is to "inform" the reader, as the concept instrument implies. Instrument is derived from the Greek and Latin roots instrumentum and instruere which means "to inform", "to equip with tools" (Robert, 2000). In that sense, multicultural music therapy and leadership practices can benefit from "teaching" each other.

This paper looks at the constituent parts of multicultural music therapy and leadership which I will argue share the basic concepts of Listening, Vision and Process. These concepts emerged from making a parallel between my experience as a music therapist and the leadership literature.