The Great Lakes Music Company Music Therapy: Pride Month Julie Mazzola, MT-BC
June is LGBTQIA2+ pride month, commemorating the Stonewall riots that took place in 1969. Before getting into some research related to music therapy, it’s essential to have an understanding of what the letters in “LGBTQIA2+” mean. If you are unfamiliar with identities in the queer community, The New York Times has a very basic list of vocabulary that you can read here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/style/lgbtq-gender-language.html Moving forward the term “queer” will be used interchangeable with the acronym LGBTQIA2+, though it is important to note that not all folks identify with the term “queer” and individual identities and language preferences are crucial. “Queer” is often used to express a spectrum of identities as sort of a catch-all. This term was previously used as a slur, but has been reclaimed by many people and parts of the LGBTQIA2+ community. Music therapists practice under the AMTA Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice, but until 2012 there were not guidelines or recommended best practices for therapists working with queer clients. A team of therapists developed recommended clinical best practices for LGBT clients (Whitehead-Pleaux et al., 2012) with guidelines that touch on areas including assessment, support, and treatment, working with transgender clients, community outreach, and music therapy research. Since these best practices were developed, research related to music therapy with queer clients has continued to grow, although further research is always needed. One area of research that has emerged is gender affirming voicework. Before digging more into what gender affirming voicework is, it’s important to note that there is a stigma surrounding one’s voice and its relation to gender identity. Specifically, for many trans and nonbinary people, though certainly not all, having their voice automatically assumed to be assigned as male or female can cause discomfort and dysphoria. Maevon Gumble (2019) notes that previous research related to gender affirming voicework was often based on binary stereotypes, such as feminizing or masculinizing the voice, often through speech therapy, and that most previous literature is focused on the experiences of trans women using speech therapy to achieve a more feminine voice. Gumble explores the connection between a person’s speaking and singing voice through the intersection of speech-language pathology and music therapy in a way that had not been done before, specifically accessing one’s desired speaking voice through singing (Gumble, 2019).
The GLMC Newsletter | June 2021 | page 01 Gender affirming voicework brings together ideas from vocal pedagogy and speech- language pathology, as they naturally overlap. These areas of overlap include resonance, articulation, vocal strength, and pitch, among others, with resonance and pitch being significant when considering gender-based vocal work (Gumble, 2019). Music therapy techniques that might be used with gender affirming voicework include progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing exercises, improvisation, and singing (Gumble, 2019). Gumble notes that gender affirming voicework may be a place that offers an integrated focus on both vocal function and emotions/identity (Gumble, 2019). They also note that prior to a therapist implementing gender affirming voicework, training is essential, going on to share that reading about this work is not enough to implement it, but rather requires
“an in-depth exploration of speech-language pathology literature surrounding trans and nonbinary voices; an engagement with related voicework music therapy methods (such as Lisa’s Embodied VoiceWork method); an intimate knowledge of healthy vocal use and vocal pedagogy; training around working with imagery in informed and deep ways (such as GIM); an in-depth understanding of trauma-informed work and the ways it could inform understanding of trans and nonbinary healthcare and culture; and a deep interrogation and addressing of personal values and biases surrounding gender and other cultural axes of identity” (Gumble, 2019).
Though not all who identify as LGBTQIA2+ would desire to engage in gender affirming voicework, it is important to note this research, especially for those who are trans and nonbinary. Trans and nonbinary folks are some of the most marginalized, even within the queer community, and this research is important for therapists to be aware of. The Trevor Project’s “National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health” (2019) found that 39% of LGBTQ youth experience higher rates of mental health struggles than their straight peers. Specifically, the study found that 39% of LGBTQ youth had seriously considered suicide, while more than 50% (54% to be exact) of trans and nonbinary youth had considered suicide (The Trevor Project, 2019). While music therapy can be an important resource for LGBTQIA2+ folks in more ways than gender affirming voicework, this research is important to share. Queer people exist everywhere and trans and nonbinary people exist everywhere. Music therapists, as well as all other health care providers, must be aware of this in order to best serve these populations. Currently it is extremely difficult to find music therapy resources specifically for queer individuals. “Safe ‘n Sound: Youth Group” is a music therapy group led by Maevon Gumble that provides space for queer, trans, nonbinary, and/or questioning youth ages 14-18 to explore identity, LGBTQIA+ themes, and everyday life through music and the arts. For more information about Maevon Gumble and their work you can visit https://becomingthroughsound.com. Other resources can be found below.
The GLMC Newsletter | June 2021 | page 02 References:
Gumble, M. (2019). Gender affirming voicework: An introduction for music therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 19(3), https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v19i3.2661
Annette Whitehead-Pleaux, Amy Donnenwerth, Beth Robinson, Spencer Hardy, Leah Oswanski, Michele Forinash, Maureen Hearns, Natasha Anderson, Elizabeth York, Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning: Best Practices in Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, Volume 30, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 158–166, https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/30.2.158
The Trevor Project national survey on LGBTQ youth mental health. (2019). https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Trevor-Project-National- Survey-Results-2019.pdf
Resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Trans specific resources: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) https://experiencing homelessness and Spanish Line: 1-888-628-9454 housing insecurity. TTY Line: 1-800-799-4889 1-317-699-1994 Text: “HOME” to 741-741 A Guide To QTPoC Organizations in the The Trevor Project (LGBTQIA+ Youth) U.S.: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a- 1-866-488-7386 guide-to-queer-qtpoc-organizations-in- Text: “START” to 678-678 the-us_b_5824b64ee4b0e89dd9ee7e8f
Trans Lifeline: Handbook of Help: an online directory for 1-877-565-8860 those who may be at risk or experiencing homelessness. LGBTQ+ Violence Hotline: https://handbookofhelp.org 777-871-2273 YouthLink: Access line for people ages 18- GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist 24 experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. 1-317-699-1994
The GLMC Newsletter | June 2021 | page 03 Queer Music Through the Decades
1950s: Johnny Mathis, Little Richard
1960s: Dusty Springfield, Janis Ian, John Lennon, Lesley Gore, Cass Elliot, Mick Jagger
1970s: Elton John, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Gloria Gaynor, Janis Joplin, Lou Reed, Barry Manilow
1980s: Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Debbie Harry, Village People, The B-52s, George Michael, Joan Jett, Prince
1990s: Rickey Martin, Lance Bass, k.d. lang, Melissa Etheridge, Tegan and Sara, Tracy Chapman
2000s: Clay Aiken, Brandi Carlile, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga
2010s - Today: Janelle Monáe, Lil Nas X, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, JoJo Siwa, Sam Smith, Mary Lambert, Frank Ocean, Julia Nunes
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The GLMC Newsletter | June 2021 | page 04