Response to Music Therapy and Spirituality by Dorit Amir

By Cara Berry. First year student in Music Therapy program, Lesley University. Email: carberr@hotmail.com

When I think about the spirituality of music I am fascinated to realize that both music and spirituality are quite difficult to define with words. Both music and spirituality have acted as constant companions in my life. Even in the midst of confusion or doubt I have been able to have found solace by knowing the two existed.

I see these two parts of life as woven together and in many ways almost inseparable from each other. For instance, when I look outside at the trees and see how the branches dance in the wind, I am reminded of how I look at my faith. Aside from a simplistic element of music and spirituality, I have also been quite aware of the complex elements of these aspects of life. I started my training as a music therapist in a bit of a stalemate in terms of my faith. I saw God as being the "tonic" and whenever I would go through doubts or insecurities I realized that I pulled myself farther and farther away from Him. I was in the midst of reviewing musical terms and history at this time and so I labeled these times in my faith as similar to the impressionistic scale. I was amazed that the tension in my faith mirrored the floating, "less grounded" sound in the music. Still, even now I find comfort in knowing that I can have a foundation for the different parts of my faith through how I have come to experience music.

I definitely believe that the spirituality of music needs to be a bigger part of the music therapy literature because both music and spirituality have so many of the same characteristics. Although each experience is very different, both can open up many other avenues for clients to consider the deeper areas of their lives