Abstract

This study presents a historical narrative of the inaugural year (1974/75) of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists (CAMT). The purpose of the study was to examine music therapists’ lived experiences of the first year of the CAMT concomitantly with primary source documents published between the first two CAMT conferences (August 3, 1974 and May 2, 1975, respectively). The primary research question was: What are the experiences of music therapists who were involved in the CAMT during its inaugural year? The secondary research question was: How do primary source historical documents from the first year of the CAMT relate to the experiences of the participants? I combined phenomenological and historical methodologies in this qualitative interview study. I interviewed three Canadian music therapists who were active during 1974/75. The experiences they shared in their interviews were related to primary source historical documents the researcher obtained from the CAMT historical archives. Three primary themes emerged from the data analysis: “developing identity,” “defining music therapy/music therapist,” and “emerging alternative profession.” This study offers information about significant conflicts, issues, and developments in the early CAMT that was previously missing from the historical literature on Canadian music therapy.