The Antiracist’s Journey in Music Therapy: Part 1

Is antiracism a destination or is it an ongoing and evolving journey? Can any antiracism journey begin without first addressing and confronting the ubiquity of white supremacy and privilege in all of our systems – including government, education, healthcare, culture, community and family – and therefore within ourselves and our own biases and consciousness?

In this one-day offering, Davina Vencatasamy and Michaela de Cruz, co-founders of the ‘We Are Monster’ Global Network for Music Therapists of Colour, will unpack these questions and more to expand our definitions of antiracism and solidarity across multiple intersectionalities, and our understanding of white supremacy and white privilege. Our work as music therapy healthcare practitioners and educators has developed through white supremacist structures and is further impacted by the blatant rise of privatisation and AI, which are fundamentally racist, patriarchal, and colonial. Without a firm grasp of how we may be complicit in the systems which actively disempower us, and significantly those of us from historically marginalised backgrounds, we will continue to put the integrity of our work at risk. No matter at what stage of the journey we find ourselves, this Part 1 conversation-starter will illuminate the urgent imperative to be engaged in antiracism to transform the UK music therapy community, our personal, professional, and clinical practices, our training, and our advocacy in the social justice arena. Parts 2 and 3 will be centred around building anticolonial frameworks and understanding active allyship in music therapy.

The invitation holds a specific challenge to stand in truth and courage when confronting subjects like white supremacy and white privilege, which undoubtedly activate a range of difficult emotions in each of us. We hope you come with open hearts, minds, spirits, and the improvisational capacities we all have as music therapists. We can only address white supremacy and privilege in music therapy by first addressing it in ourselves*.

There are 16 paid places available on this course. These are available to book through this link**. There will also be 4 bursary places available to people who identify as being from marginalised backgrounds. You can find more information on this here. This limited quantity is to ensure that each person has the space needed to sit with this subject matter, and is also granted enough time to explore the emotional content which arises. We aim to foster an environment of support and compassion, one that is also grounded in collective courage and resilience.

This full-day session will run from 9:30am-4:30pm at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London*** (with lunch provided - please indicate any dietary requirements in the order form at the end of your booking). We will be exploring a glossary of the terminology around the topic for more clarity and context, and it would be helpful to do a little bit of reading prior to the day, which we will send out after you have registered. We will be weaving in both personal and practical elements by engaging in circles, reflection in small groups, music-making and other arts-based activities.

Main learning pathways will be:

• A deeper understanding of antiracist terminology.
• A deeper ability to notice how white supremacy and white privilege manifest in daily life and practice.
• Tools and techniques to further cultural understanding and awareness in music therapy and practice.

Disclaimer: This will be a reflective and participatory CPD experience, where we hope each of us allows ourselves some level of vulnerability to authentically partake in what the conversation asks of us. This is not a note-taking exercise and there will be an expectation to fully engage in the process. We will be providing CPD certs upon completion of the session, however it is important to recognise that this is Part 1 of 3 sessions in this journey.

If you feel ready to join us, please pack your open hearts, and your instruments (if available). We look forward to meeting you on this shared journey!

*This training is targeted towards the UK music therapy community. While it is open to anyone to join, please consider its relevance to yourself and your profession as we will be focusing our discussion within a UK music therapy context.

**Please note that we are fully aware of the access limitations of this session, including its cost and its London-centric location. We plan to release online CPD resources centring the main ideas from this series of sessions, with more info to come soon!

***We are equally aware of the deep implications of hosting this event within an institution like the Guildhall. We aim to properly address all of this and make space for anyone’s concerns around these issues. Always feel free to holler@wamonster.org

ACCESSIBILITY INFO:

• Milton Court is one of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s two main buildings and is part of The Barbican Centre.
• Visitors with access requirements are encouraged to join the Barbican Access Membership Scheme.
• All venues in the building have seating for wheelchair users and ambulant disabled people.
• One lift (157x144cm) runs between all levels, except Level - 1, where the cloakroom is located.
• Accessible toilets are located on all floors except Level 3. Toilets are next to the lift.
• The main entrance to the building is on the corner of Silk Street and Milton Street and has two sets of automatic sliding glass doors which lead to the main foyer on the ground floor. Carry on past the box office and turn left after the staircase for the lift to all floors.
  

For arrival by car:

• The most convenient set-down point is the main entrance on Milton Street, which is generally a quiet road.
• There are a limited number of blue-badge parking bays available on Milton Street and on Silk Street between Milton Court and the Barbican Centre.
• The nearest car parking facilities are the Barbican Centre car parks, located at the end of Silk Street, 150m from the Milton Court building. There is a headroom restriction of 1.85m. All car parks stay open until midnight. Car Parks 3 and 5 have blue-badge parking bays, which are available for use free of charge for members of the Barbican Access Membership scheme. To qualify for free parking please send a copy of your blue badge, details of the vehicles you regularly use and your Barbican Access Membership number to access@barbican.org.uk.
  
  Public Transport:
• There are no accessible tube stations nearby. Moorgate and Barbican stations are the closest stations and are served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern lines.
• Bus route 153 is wheelchair-accessible and runs from Liverpool Street station to Finsbury Park via Chiswell Street, 300 metres from Milton Court. Transport for London’s enquiry line (020 7222 1234) can advise on accessible routes.
  

If you have any further access requirements, please let us know by filling in the form at the end of this booking, or by emailing us directly at holler@wamonster.org

If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please also let us know by filling in the form at the end of this booking, or by emailing us directly at holler@wamonster.org