The British Association for Music Therapy acknowledges the importance of all forms of anti-oppressive practice both in practicum and more broadly within the profession. We acknowledge our responsibility to actively support those with marginalised voices. This is ongoing work, and we understand that we will not get everything right as we progress on this journey, but we are working to listen and think with our members to grow us into an organisation that upholds values of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB).

BAMT Diversity Report

In August 2020, we sent out a survey to better understand the concerns and issues regarding equality, diversity and inclusion within the Music Therapy profession in the UK. The survey was open to all qualified and training Music Therapists gathering important demographic data. We also asked participants to identify three key priorities to address the lack of diversity within Music Therapy and gave an opportunity to share further concerns or experiences relating to discrimination or lack of diversity within the profession. In total, we received 509 responses.

The data from the survey was analysed and collated into a report which incorporates the issues raised within the responses we received. We thank all who responded  the survey and provided the information and detail we needed for this report. The information from this report has been used to inform the first steps that BAMT are taking to challenge the inequalities that exist in the Music Therapy profession.

You can download a copy of the report below.

Racial Awareness Resources: Starting list

An introduction by Davina Wilson alongside the panel from the Racial Awareness event which was held in April 2021. The panelists were: Hannah Berhanu, Ray Travasso, Jane Nicola Douglas, Michaela de Cruz, Catherine Warner, Alphonso Archer, Andrew Langford, Julie Hoggarth and Denise Wong.

This is a 'set' of mixed media that the creater thinks would be a good place to start if you want to know more and haven't yet begun your journey in racial awareness issues. For me, I started by reading one thing which then referenced many other sources which I then sought out. It was a journey of discovery and as I read and listened more, my understanding (along with my lived experience) moved me forwards quite swiftly. It all culminated in the Racial Awareness event ran at the end of April. It does not stop there, this is just the beginning. I have a pile of about 15 books on my bedside table yet to read along with a similar number of articles! It's a journey that grows and grows and my mantra for the past year has been "the more I read, the less I know"! Even so, some of this in-depth work cannot be done without being more aware of the layers that exist, and that can only come with putting in the time and effort for self-growth. As Therapists we did/do this in training, and I am finding this journey a similar one. In that spirit, please find this resources list that the Racial Awareness panel have all collectively experienced and can recommend. We wish you all the best on your own journey through this material.

Book: Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo Lodge.

It gives a great overview of the history of Britain with regards to our relationship with race as well as touching on class and intersectionality.

Podcast: Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo Lodge.

It supports the book but delves into much more detail with interesting interviews and experiences from a wide range of perspectives.

YouTube: Cultivating Mind, Heart and Spirit: 6 Qualities of the Culturally Responsive Healer by Dr Sangeeta Swamy.

This is a lecture from Dr Sangeeta Swamy, a Music Therapist in the USA. This lecture started my journey to understanding how cultural issues are reflected in Music Therapy practice but also, how my own cultural background has influenced my work.

TV/Film: Small Axe, Steve McQueen.

A brilliant collection of 5 short films giving perspectives of racial experience over British history.

Additional Resources

Books

Becoming an Ally by Anne Bishop (Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd 2015)

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Text Publishing Company 2015)

Black Issues in the Therapeutic Process by Isha McKenzie-Mavinga (Palgrave 2009)

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon (Penguin 1952)

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch (Vintage 2018)

Class, Control and Classical Music by Anna Bull (OUP USA 2019)

Experiencing Race as a Music Therapist: Personal Narratives by Susan Hadley (Barcelona Publishers 2013)

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin 2020)

Global Psychologies: Mental Health and the Global South by Suman Fernando and Roy Moodley (Palgrave 2018)

Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin (Penguin Books 1954)

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate 2017)

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi (Bodley Head 2019)

How to be Black by Baratunde Thurston (Harper PB 2021)

Institutional Racism in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology: Race Matters in Mental Health by Suman Fernando (Palgrave Macmillan 2017)

Intersections of Privilege and Otherness in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Mockingbird by Dwight Turner (Routledge 2021)

Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World by Layla Saad (Quercus 2020)

Minor Feelings: A Reckoning on Race and the Asian Condition by Cathy Park Hong (Profile Books 2020)

Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff (Headline 2018)

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala (Two Roads 2019)

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (Beacon Press 1958)

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (Penguin 2017)

Overcoming Everyday Racism: Building Resilience and Wellbeing in the Face of Discrimination and Microaggressions by Susan Cousins (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2019)

Racism and Mental Health: Prejudice and Suffering by Kamaldeep Bhui (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2002)

Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference by Binna Kandola (Pearn Kandola Publishing 2018)

Racist States of Mind: Understanding the Perversion of Curiosity and Concern by Narendra Keval (Routledge; 1st edition 2016)

So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (Seal Press 2020)

Social Theory, Psychoanalysis and Racism by Simon Clarke (Palgrave 2003)

The Challenge of Racism in Therapeutic Practice: Engaging with Oppression in Practice and Supervision by Isha McKenzie-Mavinga (Palgrave 2016)

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (Penguin 1963)

The Race Conversation by Eugene Ellis (Confer 2021)

The Racial Complex: A Jungian Perspective on Culture and Race by Fanny Brewster (Routledge 2019)

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fourth Estate 2014)

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo (Penguin 2017)

Podcasts

Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference by Bidda Kandola

The Diversity Gap by Bethaney Wilkinson

TV/Film

Noughts + Crosses - BBC iPlayer

Concerning Violence - Film

YouTube/TED Talks

Why Representation Really Matters by Aisha Thomas

How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time by Baratunde Thurston

The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

What it takes to be racially literate by Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo

Black Self/White World - lessons on internalized racism by Jabari Lyles

The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist by Ibram X Kendi

Inspiration porn and the objectification of disability by Stella Young

How to Have a Voice and Lean Into Conversations About Race by Amanda Kemp

Providing Allyship to Healthcare Students in Placements - a project by students from University of Brighton and Canterbury Christ Church University.

Real Case Scenarios for Educator Discussion - a project by students from University of Brighton and Canterbury Christ Church University.