.jpg)
Last fall, I spent a semester studying music therapy at the Universidad del Salvador (USAL) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I attended classes with Argentine student (Click here for video) and participated in three practicum placements: one with a group at an at-risk high school, one with a 3-year-old with autism at a children’s hospital, and one with a group of adults with psychotic disorders at a public hospital. At the public hospital, I had the incredible opportunity to work with Dr. Gabriela Wagner and to attend their Christmas party, where we presented songs we had practiced in our sessions to the families and friends of the patients.Following my studies at USAL, I completed a 5-week volunteer program at a children’s home where I led music activities with the children three times a week. We sang children’s songs, improvised with makeshift instruments (wood blocks became claves; tin cans became drums), and engaged in movement activities. I created hello and goodbye songs that were translated from English or adapted from popular Latin songs. At the end of the five weeks, we put on a show for the staff, and I made a songbook containing the songs we learned.My experience in Argentina gave me an entirely new perspective on music therapy. The university system is set up differently; there is no audition process, no required 6-month internship, and, after 3 years, students receive a certificate in preventative music therapy. There is also a heavy emphasis on Freudian psychology and psychoanalysis.As the Hispanic population grows in the United States, we must address the issue of cultural differences and how this affects musical preferences. I believe we should all familiarize ourselves with the norms of each of the main cultural groups and learn traditional songs that clients from diverse backgrounds will enjoy.Talia Girton, Music Therapy Student at University of Louisville
