Music therapy in a specific country is
Visiting Argentina and Bolivia
Introduction
This is the first offering of an occasional series for the Country of the Month section of Voices, where music therapists reflect on their visits to other countries, and report on music therapy and other interactions during their visits. In this article Rebecca Travaglia and Sarah Hoskyns, (respectively a New Zealand- and a UK-trained music therapist both currently working in New Zealand) write about their experiences in South America in 2008, visiting Argentina for the XIIth World Congress of Music Therapy in July 2008, and then for Rebecca a further five months touring other South American countries. Rebecca has chosen to write about her experiences in Argentina and Bolivia, and we both reflect together on Buenos Aires and our meetings with South American music therapy at the World Congress. This article, documenting music therapists’ visits to other countries, is offered in the spirit of intercultural exchange, and the editors also refer readers to Country of the Month contributions from ‘host’ music therapists in the South American countries visited here (Ferragini 2007, Ferrari & Sanchez 2003 and Müller 2006).
For the week of the congress in Buenos Aires which began Rebecca’s six month stay, we shared a lovely apartment opposite the Recoleta Cemetery, resourced through the internet, and really valued this much more personal – and indeed less expensive – perspective on the city. It was enviably close to the conference venue and enabled us to buy local produce from markets (excellent fresh fruit and vegetables) and to experience the city more from an ‘insider’ rather than hotel and tourist perspective. We enjoyed visiting Recoleta cemetery for its peace, elegant ‘streets’ and many angels, and also viewing it from the outside on our apartment balcony (see accompanying photographs).
It was a wonderful bonus that when we were visiting Eva Peron’s family tomb before the conference, we happened to meet our conference chair and host Gabriela Wagner - bringing one of her friends to Recoleta - who shared invaluable local history and welcomed us to Buenos Aires in warm and informal way: a nice start to a week of new friendships.
The Challenges of Language
Rebecca (RT) writes: Part of the anticipation associated with travel is the possibility of being communicatively isolated from others and being unable to clearly articulate both needs and desires. Recently I spent six months travelling South America. While the opportunity to attend a World Congress played a part in my choice of South America, the other reason was to experience the culture and to try my hand at learning another language. Working as a music therapist with non-verbal children with autism and children with communication difficulties, I felt that being immersed in a language I didn't understand could perhaps be the closest to experiencing what some of my clients live with each day. It is rumoured that Spanish is quite easy to learn and it was with great gusto I completed evening language courses in the lead up to my departure.
Upon arriving in South America, my first lesson began in the airport taxi as the driver did not speak any English. The car journey was mostly quiet due to my running out of pre-prepared sentences and the infamous South American taxi driving style - fast, furious and creatively mathematical. Apparently you can split one lane in half and have two cars travelling at speed in it. My second lesson came as I waited for the owner of the apartment I had rented. A friendly security guard whose only English word was 'Hello' patiently tried to understand my broken sentences about New Zealand and music therapy. His calm and open manner supported and encouraged me to continue trying to converse, and our laughter at our joint misunderstandings forming a sense of camaraderie.
This would not be the last experience of superficial one-word conversations in Spanish. Over time, it became easier to read the conversation tone, as following the expressive facial features of the other person often indicated when to laugh, when to add an encouraging word and whether or not an affirmative answer was needed. However, the Kiwi intonation follows no precise pattern, meaning there were many occasions where I missed the Spanish question intonation and was left wondering why someone had told me I was going to do something.
Sarah (SH) writes: While attending the World Congress in Buenos Aires, I was struck by the book stalls full with published books in Portuguese and Spanish on music therapy theory and practice in Brazil and Argentina in particular. Following dynamic presentations by Voices colleagues Diego Shapiro and Lia Rejane Barcellos, I was suddenly made personally aware of how much we might be losing in little translation of this work into the English speaking music therapy world. However, music therapists are increasingly aware of the need for a re-balancing of languages and Voices is working to encourage dual publication of articles where possible (see note i). Diego was very thoughtful about the challenge to us as therapists in the modern world of ‘produced’ rather than live sound, and passionate in his argument about the part that music therapy can play in promoting live playing. Lia Rejane spoke very movingly about the interface between clinical practice and theory in a clear and persuasive lecture. Many engaging research posters detailed the wealth of community projects taking place in countries around the South American continent. I believe we need to be more aware - in the English speaking world - of this music therapy work in the future. It was an honour to see (for my first time) revered Argentinean psychiatrist Rolando Benenzon opening the conference on the first evening. Benenzon, whom I first heard about through his description of the ‘Iso Principle’ (‘meeting the patient where she is’) as a student in London in 1980, was a warm and fluent speaker and clearly greatly respected by colleagues and former students.
RT and SH: The World Congress in Buenos Aires was a lovely introduction to the Argentinean spirit. Attending a conference where most of the attendees spoke Spanish had a tremendous impact on us both. We were delighted to have witnessed 1000 South American music therapists together all in one place. The total attendance at the conference was approximately 1,500 music therapists from many countries of the world: one of the largest attendances (other than the Washington Congress 1999) at an international music therapy conference to date. Each presentation was translated into either English or Spanish by translators in the room or audiocast through headphones for the benefit of those in a larger audience. It was impressive and humbling for English to not be the main language spoken and we returned with a different picture of our profession, more influenced by the views and persuasions of Spanish (and Portuguese)-speaking musician therapists.
Musical Influences
RT: It is impossible to experience the South American culture without music. Whether it’s the strains of tango playing across the small plazas of San Telmo in Buenos Aires, or the 80’s Madonna fanaticism evidenced in the small town cafes or the traditional panpipes busking in the streets of Cusco, music is everywhere. People also take it very seriously. Traditional tango music is instilled with all the emotion and passion of those who first danced it, and the dance is lived and breathed by tangueros. A very arresting experience was the passionate chorus of music therapy students from the University of Buenos Aires attending the Congress. As everyone was invited to sing during the open ceremony, the warmth and passion that flowed from this group as they proudly sang was humbling. The live music of Buenos Aires was very accessible in an everyday way, and in addition to the ready availability of tango in and outdoors in the city, we witnessed some delightful singing of popular song by young members of the crowd at a local fair, pictured here.
SH: We were offered the opportunity to experience tango lessons at the Congress, and though these were competing with many other papers and workshops during our week, (and most were rather oversubscribed and sadly missed) we took our own opportunities to dance in the exquisite marble foyer of the Law School. (Rebecca dances with fellow Australasian delegate Kat McFerran). Our Argentinean hosts invited a group of music therapists to a Milonga bar in San Telmo to see and take part in live music and dancing, and it was wonderful to see the mixture of ages and different people dancing together, and witness the varied stages of the evening, a lesson, free dancing, recorded music first and then an exciting large live band with varied strings, bandoneons, rhythm and bass. As Rebecca observed, it was taken very seriously, but locals also encouraged and smiled at visitors wishing to dance and participate. My friends (Rebecca and Leslie Bunt) willingly joined me in research about the bandoneon – the famous instrument of tango (a beautiful well-developed concertina-come-harmonium) and encouraged my purchase of one! (Our family tango playing has long aspired to include the bandoneon – rather than accordion, so a trip to Argentina was a wonderful excuse to realise this dream). Pictured here is the kindly music shop assistant who kindly demonstrated various models of instrument for us at wildly varying prices. Sadly two keys on the bandoneon (crucial D and A bass notes) have broken back home in NZ, - essential for A and E minor Tangos - and finding a mender is proving a real challenge. Perhaps bandoneons are best practised in South America and Europe, where technicians are a little more available!
My friends (Rebecca and Leslie Bunt) willingly joined me in research about the bandoneon – the famous instrument of tango (a beautiful well-developed concertina-come-harmonium) and encouraged my purchase of one! (Our family tango playing has long aspired to include the bandoneon – rather than accordion, so a trip to Argentina was a wonderful excuse to realise this dream). Pictured here is the kindly music shop assistant who kindly demonstrated various models of instrument for us at wildly varying prices. Sadly two keys on the bandoneon (crucial D and A bass notes) have broken back home in NZ, - essential for A and E minor Tangos - and finding a mender is proving a real challenge. Perhaps bandoneons are best practised in South America and Europe, where technicians are a little more available!
RT: It is not just tango music that provides the breath of life. In my experience, the traditional music of Bolivia also has ‘life-saving’ properties as it is often the first choice of those late night bus drivers doing the long haul bus trips cross country. My distinct memory of a trip between Uyuni and Oruro was like trying to sleep in an economy seat of a Boeing 747 as it travelled through the centre of the earth. My relief at hitting paved roads at 1am was short lived as the bus driver began to play loud traditional Bolivia music. Thinking the universe may be punishing me, I quickly realised that the music was less for his enjoyment and more to keep him awake for the next three hours to Oruro - a somewhat comforting yet frightening thought.
Sharing the Travel Guitar
RT: My partner and I travelled through South America with a Martin backpacker’s guitar. While it was mainly to entertain us while waiting for buses to arrive, the guitar also provided a way to connect with those around us. One particularly memorable moment was during a tour of the Salt Flats in Bolivia. We spent an extra day in a small village in southwest part of the country. The town was tiny, and our group of four added drastically to the local population. Amongst the adobe huts, there were two small girls who were shyly curious about my partner (being of Chinese descent) and of course, our guitar.
One girl insisted on playing it throughout the morning after being given a demonstration on strumming. As the morning worn on, our friendship was cemented through patience, unconditional acceptance and music. My only Spanish words were, "No entiendo" (I don't understand) which sent the girls into fits of laughter because I could not understand their language. Without fail, they would attempt again to communicate with me, beginning to use gestures and reduce their language. The unconditional nature of their interaction evoked feelings of acceptance despite my inability to understand.
Somehow, a conversation about songs came up (I had not followed the conversation between my partner who can speak Spanish and the girls) and we were offered a performance. Standing proudly in their old woollen clothes, the girls sang a school song about white socks, going to school on Mondays and doing school work. Patiently they taught us the words and we could sing it with relative confidence together with them. In return, they asked us to sing for them. We clearly did not have a school song to sing and the girls had never heard of New Zealand before and our waiata knowledge was embarrassingly small, so we launched into our current travelling number one - Simon and Garfunkel's 'Me and Julio Down By the School Yard'. The girls watched in awe as we belted out this tune (a little harder at 4200m above sea level) before asking us if it was a song from our country. Tempting as it was to class it as our national anthem; we explained that two men who lived in North America had written it.
This cultural exchange of song left an impressionable stamp on me. Much of my time spent learning another language reminded me the importance of each element of communication that occurs within a music therapy session. It is the relationship between two people, it is the energy exchanged, it is the patience and support and most importantly, it is the desire to communicate and be with another person.
Returning Home
RT: Returning to New Zealand was comforting and made me appreciate what it means to understand a language and experience another culture more fully. Not just the words, but the body language, the humour, the colloquialisms - all those aspects that make up a culture's language. Simply being warmly welcomed with 'kia ora' as I stepped off the plane sent a flood of relief and appreciation through my body. Not only that, but listening to my own favourite music has taken on a new meaning. I'm aware of the intangible parts of a language. Perhaps it is not dissimilar to integrating into another culture. There are arguments about how truly integrated you can be within another culture if it is not the one you grew up in. I find myself pondering what non-native English speakers feel when they hear famous English language rock bands and folk singers playing songs whose poetic lyrics are, to me and my English speaking friends, the most integral part of the song. What relevance do non-native English speakers assign to the poetic lyrical images created? I also have a deeper respect for my friends who speak several languages fluently and show an understanding beneath the simple translations.
The experience served as a reminder to appreciate the differences in cultures but also enabled me to form a more comforting and loving relationship with my own language and my own music. After all, it is the one I truly understand best.
SH: I have recently enjoyed greatly Daniel Barenboim’s account of returning "home" to Buenos Aires, the City where he spent his early childhood years, to play a concert marking 50 years on the stage. Argentina was his earliest home and his affection for the language, culture and people is very moving. He talks in this documentary - Multiple Identities: Encounters with Daniel Barenboim - about the value for him of the different identities he has developed over his lifetime (for example he describes himself a Jew, an Argentinean, a European, a musician). Being able to inhabit different qualities and characters – speaking at least five languages- has enriched his experience and human understanding so clearly in this film, and you see how warmly he interacts with shopkeepers, boys at the synagogue, orchestra members, solo artists of many cultures and so on. One observation Barenboim makes about bridging the gap when there are differences and barriers between people has stayed firmly with me in recent weeks. He endeavours to keep "music at the centre of the activity" - and make "personal commitment to every phrase"(Iturriagagoitia & Smaczny, 2002) . He refers here to his relationship, as a conductor of the Berlin Staatskappelle Orchestra, with the players, and how they learned to work together, but it seems an appropriate summary of Rebecca and her partner’s singing of "Me and Julio.." and the Bolivian children’s song about their White Socks. Both parties ‘give their all’ in their musical exchange and human connection is firmly established. It’s a reassuring reminder for music therapists at home and abroad!
Reference
Ferraggina, A. (2007). La Musicoterapia en la República Argentina: Music Therapy in Argentina . Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 14, 2009, from http://www.voices.no/country//monthargentina_november2007.php
Ferrari, K. & Sánchez, V. (2003). Music Therapy in Argentina. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 14, 2009, from http://www.voices.no/country/monthargentina_july2003.html
Iturriagagoitia, I., & Smaczny, P. (Directors) (2002). Multiple Identities: Encounters with Daniel Barenboim [film documentary]: EuroArts Music /Naxos.
Müller, C. (2006). Music Therapy in Bolivia. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved November 14, 2009, from http://www.voices.no/country/monthbolivia_april2006.html
To cite this page:
Travaglia, Rebecca & Hoskyns Sarah (2009). Visiting Argentina and Bolivia.
Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Retrieved
from http://www.voices.no/country/monthvisit_november2009.php
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