Community music therapy in schools: Realigning with the needs of contemporary students, staff and systems

Abstract

The nature of schooling in first world western countries has changed significantly in the past decade. The philosophy of inclusion has been embraced internationally and has led to school communities comprising of staff and students who have considerably diverse backgrounds and abilities. Pedagogical emphases are therefore slowly shifting from teaching universalized curricula to developing universal designs that can take account of the individual needs of students. While the tradition of withdrawing students from class in order to participate in individualized therapy does not fit well in these contexts, music therapists have a lot to offer contemporary schools. The music therapy literature s..