CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Minority Youth Empowerment, Self-Actualization and Creative Expression Through Music A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy By Maribel Palafox December 2016 The graduate project of Maribel Palafox is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Cecile G. Schwedes, M.A. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Tovah Sands, Ph.D. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Stan Charnofsky, Ed..D, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Acknowledgements I cannot express enough thanks to my committee for their continued support and encouragement: Dr. Stan Charnofsky, my committee chair; Dr. Tovah Sands; and Mrs. Cecile G. Schwedes. I offer my sincere appreciation for the learning opportunities you provided me. The completion of this project could not have been accomplished without the support of my friends, John Anthony, Vanessa and Jess; and my children. To Evelia, Derek, and Jathan – thank you for allowing me time away from you to research and write. You have been at the root of my inspiration as this project is inspired by the passion that we four so dearly share. Finally, to my caring, loving, and supportive father. Dad, thank you for always believing in me and for dedicating yourself to my children while I’m pursuing my dreams. Thank you for never letting me quit. Dad, gracias por siempre creer en mis sueños. Gracias por dedicarte a mis hijos incondicionalmente mientras yo luchaba por lograr mis metas. Gracias por no dejarme dar por vencida. Te quiero mucho. iii Dedication To the youth that fly with broken wings. True passion never has to hide. Allow music to breathe salvation into your heart. Be Dope and do Dope Things. “Children will be brilliant if adults can be brave enough to give them space to be.”- ASHES the CHOSEN iv Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE………………………………………………………………..…… ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………….………………………………….. iii DEDICATION...………………………………………………………………………… iv ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………….. vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Statement of Need 2 Statement of Purpose 2 Statement of Significance 2 Terminology 3 Limitations 3 Organization of the Remainder of the Project 4 Chapter 2: Review of Literature 5 Minority Youth 5 Youth Empowerment 6 Self-Actualization 7 Music Therapy 8 The Role of Music in Adolescent Development 9 Rap Therapy Model 11 Receptive Music Interventions 12 Organization of Small Groups 13 Chapter 3: Project Audience and Implementation Factors 15 Development of Project 15 v Intended Audience 16 Personal Qualifications 16 Environment and Equipment 16 Project Outline 17 Chapter 4: Conclusion and Recommendations 18 Summary of Project 18 Recommendations for Implementation 19 Recommendations for Future Research 19 Conclusion 20 References 21 Appendix A: Group Forms 25 Appendix B: “Rap Remedies” Group Curriculum 31 vi ABSTRACT MINORITY YOUTH EMPOWERMENT, SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION THROUGH MUSIC By Maribel Palafox Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy As adolescents of racial and ethnic minorities experience adverse childhood experiences and trauma, music therapy can provide an opportunity to encourage understanding and incite change. The impact of participating in a music therapy group, specifically focused on hip-hop and rap, can present youth with socially relevant avenues of self-empowerment, and provide the opportunity to tap into their inner most influential artists and genres through music, creative expression, and self-actualization. Through the utilization of music therapy techniques these youth may gain the ability to generate their own personal catharsis and develop positive coping behaviors. The purpose of the small group designed in this project is to awaken adolescent’s sense of self-actualization, self-empowerment, and creative expression. vii CHAPTER 1 Introduction Documented research has indicated that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are more likely to terminate mental health treatment prematurely and underutilize these services despite their continued need for supportive services. Tomas Alvarez III, social entrepreneur and pioneer of Hip-Hop Therapy, explains that now more than ever, our youth need culturally responsive avenues for healing and development. When mixing music, the ability to be autonomous and self-determined can lead to creative expression. Adolescents are given an opportunity to restore hope lost due to adverse childhood experiences, cultivate resiliency, thrive, foster a sense of belonging to their communities, increase self-love, and become responsible for taking care of their behavioral, social, and physical health. The curriculum of this graduate project is intended to present youth with socially relevant avenues of self-empowerment, and give them the opportunity to tap into their inner most influential artists and genres through music, creative expression and self-actualization. Seattle- based MC, ASHES the CHOSEN (2016), advocates for the current generation of minority youth, and inspirationally declares that “children will be brilliant if adults can be brave enough to give them space to be.” The project is designed so that youth will be given a safe and inspiring space to be brilliant, empowered and self-actualized through the use of music. 1 Statement of Need Music - vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. (Merriam-Webster, 2003). Music creates diverse and welcoming communities, with powers so influential; it can define a generation for minority youth. Music is sought after for its creation as a perpetual symbol of hope, prosperity and connectedness. Music, as an intervention, can be implemented to improve mental health and social-emotional practices among marginalized youth. There is a need for the utilization of music, in particular hip hop, as a catalyst for positive change and development, permits youth to incubate the kinds of innovation, creativity and progress they deserve and yearn for. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this graduate project is to review literature regarding how music empowers adolescents, fosters their self-awareness, encourages their creative expression, and to create a small group curriculum based on Literature Review. Minority adolescents and their families of origin hail from diverse backgrounds and lifetime experiences, and their unique, and sometimes traumatic stories provide the foundation of their perceptions and point of view. It is through the utilization of music therapy techniques where these youth can gain the ability to generate their own personal catharsis and develop positive coping behaviors. Statement of Significance The proposed nine-week group seeks to bridge the world of personal development, education, music, and therapy by providing youth with diversified real-world, hands-on experiences that supplement their creativity, critical thinking skills, personal development, and emotional wellbeing. Youth would actively participate in the development of music-driven 2 activities in conjunction with group counseling to collectively continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in youth empowerment and music through self-actualization, self-empowerment, creative expression, and other development opportunities. The theme of this group will center on Hip-Hop/Rap music and its contributing poets in order to elicit stories of origin and develop self- awareness and empowerment. Terminology Youth Empowerment: is the outcome by which youth, as change agents, gain the skills to impact their own lives and lives of other individuals, organizations, and communities. Self-Actualization: the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. Music Therapy: Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Rap Music: a style of popular music, developed by disc jockeys and urban blacks in the late 1970s, in which an insistent, recurring beat pattern provides the background and counterpoint for rapid, slangy, and often boastful rhyming patter glibly intoned by a vocalist or vocalists. Hip-Hop Music: is a subculture of Rap and a music genre formed in the United States in the 1970s that consists of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. Limitations of Project This review will focus on articles published after the year 1994. The study is limited in terms of demographical information due to lack of research available, a focus on specific populations, and the scope of material. 3 Organization of the Remainder of the Project In order to better understand the needs and issues of minority youth and the influence of music in their day-to-day life, it is necessary to review previous studies and research regarding the efficacy of youth empowerment treatment through music that focus on minority youth and the access to support services, which will be reviewed in the following chapter. The review will cover a variety of interventions and strategies for working with and utilizing music to empower youth. Chapter three will reveal the development of this