UNDERSTANDING HOW WESTERN-TRAINED MUSIC THERAPISTS INCORPORATE CHINESE CULTURE IN THEIR PRACTICE IN CHINA: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY A Thesis by JESSICA MARIE DONLEY Submitted to the Graduate School at Appalachian State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC THERAPY December 2017 Hayes School of Music UNDERSTANDING HOW WESTERN-TRAINED MUSIC THERAPISTS INCORPORATE CHINESE CULTURE IN THEIR PRACTICE IN CHINA: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY A Thesis by JESSICA MARIE DONLEY APPROVED BY: _________________________________ Melody Schwantes Reid, PhD, MT-BC Chairperson, Thesis Committee _________________________________ Cathy H. McKinney, Ph.D., MT-BC Member, Thesis Committee _________________________________ Alecia Youngblood-Jackson, Ph.D. Member, Thesis Committee _________________________________ James Douthit, D.M.A. Dean, Hayes School of Music _________________________________ Max C. Poole, Ph.D. Dean, Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies Copyright by Jessica Donley 2017 All Rights Reserved Abstract UNDERSTANDING HOW WESTERN-TRAINED MUSIC THERAPISTS INCORPORATE CHINESE CULTURE IN THEIR PRACTICE IN CHINA: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY Jessica Marie Donley, MT-BC B.M., University of Louisiana at Monroe M.M.T, Appalachian State University Chairperson: Melody Schwantes Reid, PhD, MT-BC Few studies highlight the implications of music therapy practice with Chinese people. Although music therapists work with Chinese people in the United States, Canada, Australia, and China, little is known about how these music therapists incorporate Chinese culture in their practice in order to provide culturally-responsive music therapy. This ethnographic research study aimed to understand how Western-trained music therapists incorporated Chinese culture in their practice in China. The researcher observed music therapy sessions of two Western-trained music therapists in a neurologic rehabilitation and mental rehabilitation department in a hospital setting in China. In addition, the two music therapists, two of their clients, and two facility professionals were interviewed. The researcher also collected data through field recordings, field notes, and artifacts. Six categories were identified in the data analysis. The findings indicated that Western- trained music therapists incorporated Chinese culture in their session by: using “mixture” music, iv developing and maintaining guānxi with various individuals, using multiple models of music therapy, using a variety of active and receptive experiences, using the Chinese Mandarin language, and acknowledging that music therapy is a natural therapy. Overall, themes of mixture were in several of the categories suggesting that music therapy with Chinese people is a “mixture” music therapy. This “mixture” music therapy contains a mixture of cultures including Western culture, Chinese culture, and other cultures. This also suggests that the younger generation in China may be more accepting of different cultural values through globalization. Future research by Chinese music therapists is needed to understand varying perspectives of culturally-responsive music therapy for Chinese people. Keywords: culturally-responsive music therapy, music therapy, culture, Chinese culture, ethnography, music, therapy v Acknowledgements I want to thank the many people who have made this research possible. Thank you to those who helped me locate participants including members of the Chinese Music Therapy Network, Dr. Barbara Wheeler, Dr. Xi-Jing Chen, and Ming-Ming Liu. I also want to further extend my thanks to Ming-Ming Liu for communicating with me and answering my questions about music therapy in China. To the music therapists who gave me an opportunity to visit your place of work, observe your sessions, interact with your clients, speak with your colleagues, and get to know you, it was an honor. Each of you are amazing music therapists, and I have learned so much from you. Please extend my appreciation to your clients and your colleagues for their openness and willingness in having me as apart of their experience. To the interpreters, thank you for your time and help in understanding the language and communication of others. To all the interns and music therapists that welcomed me, your kindness and hospitality did not go unnoticed. I hope to see many of you soon and return this kindness. Thank you also to Joyu Lee and Yingqi Wang for your help with translating consent forms. To Dr. Melody Schwantes Reid, I want to express my appreciation for your guidance over the past year, your willingness to listen with an open ear to my gamut of research and project ideas, and letting my creativity and imagination run wild, while still helping me focus on realistic goals. Thank you for reassuring me and celebrating with me during different moments in the research process. You have helped me realize one of my dreams, and I am so grateful for your support. Dr. Cathy McKinney, thank you for challenging me to ask questions about my practice as vi a music therapist and uncharted territories in music therapy. It has instilled in me an excitement for generating, building, and nourishing my “think tank.” It has also given me greater confidence as a music therapist and researcher. My thanks also extend to Dr. Alecia Jackson-Youngblood. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise in interpretivist methodologies and inspiring me to go above and beyond my original research design to include a triangular perspective. This encouraged me when there were many uncertainties and ambiguities in the research planning. Along with those that were members of my committee, I give my thanks to various individuals in the Office of Research particularly those in Grants, Resources & Services. Karen and Katie, thank you for your support during a busy last semester and in the time that we have worked together. Thank you also to the Office of Student Research for funding and supporting my research through their Research Grant program. I extend my thankfulness and appreciation to those that supported me including my friends and family. Special thanks to Christina, Danyelle, Miranda, Sarah S., Sarah T., and Erin for your love and patience during this period of time in addition to many others not named. To my Mom and Dad, thank you for your love and support, especially when I was my worst critic. I am fortunate and privileged to have you both as my parents, and I love you very much. Lastly, my praises go to my God who sustains my life. With you, I lack nothing, and everything is possible. vii Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………iv Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………..vi Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………......1 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………10 Chapter 3: Method………...………………………………………………………………….48 Chapter 4: Results…………………………………………………………………………….61 Chapter 5: Discussion………………………………………………………………………...92 References…………………………………………………………………………………...120 Appendix A: Consent Forms.………………………………………………………………..132 Appendix B: Observation Guide…………………………………………………………….145 Appendix C: Interview Guides……………………………………………………………....147 Vita…………………………………………………………………………………………..152 viii 1 Chapter 1 Introduction In retrospect, my interest in China and Chinese culture took root at a young age and from experiences where I was not culturally aware of the differences among Taiwanese, Chinese, and other Asian cultures. For instance, I had two friends at a young age who were Taiwanese and Chinese, but I saw them as the same culture, Chinese culture. I learned more about my Taiwanese friend and her culture when I visited her home. There, I observed her family’s interactions, communications in their native language, preparation of food, and tasting authentic cuisine. It was exciting to learn about her culture in this small immersion experience, and fun to try Taiwanese food for the first time. Prior to my training in multicultural counseling, my interests in music therapy and Asian cultures emerged at my internship. At one facility, an Asian woman with a developmental disability attended music therapy sessions. This was the first time that I had worked with an Asian woman and, I began to ask myself questions about how music therapists provide music therapy services to Asian clients in a culturally empathetic way. Although her ethnicity was uncertain, I believe I chose to research music therapy and Chinese culture based on my previous notions, experience, and friendships. I wanted to know if music therapists in the United States provided services to Chinese people, as well as if music therapy was a profession being practiced in China. After I learned that music therapists were working with Chinese people in the United States and in China, new questions began to form, and I wanted to understand how music therapists include Chinese culture in their practice. I thought the best way to answer this question was to travel and study it in China. 2 Because I have a strong desire to travel, live, work, and conduct research in China after the completion of my graduate program, I hope that this research will inform me how I can incorporate the Chinese culture into Western music therapy practice. In this first chapter, I discuss in more detail my interest for conducting this research, Western culture in music therapy, music therapy with Chinese people, music therapy in China, definitions important to this study, ethnography as the methodology, the purpose of this study, and its research question.