we are
The "We Are Monster" network was birthed in 2022 in response to a need for a dedicated space for Music Therapists of Colour. This is a space where we can be free to simply be, away from the 'white gaze' of the profession, and that of the wider medical, mental health, and academic systems. Norris (2020) reminds us: "Music therapy across the globe is situated within complex socio-political, socio-structural, socio-historical, and socio-cultural systems. It holds the vestiges of White European settler colonialism and is founded upon dominant cultural values and ideals that support its existence and simultaneously benefit and harm client communities." As People of Colour (POC) we need our own space to unpack, unlearn, and process this complexity without feeling at risk of being harmed by the very systems we are trying to navigate. We also claim our right to a space that is safe enough for us to call out racism in the profession; support and empower each other; prioritize decolonizing and rebuilding our communities; relearn our ancient wisdoms and musical rituals and traditions; and find unapologetic joy in ourselves and each other.
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While the network is largely run by Davina Vencatasamy, Jonathan (Jaytee) Tang, and Michaela de Cruz, who are based in the UK, its membership is global, with practitioners from the UK, Asia, North and South America, and Europe. We are intent on growing it even further afield. A global network for Music Therapists of the Global Majority.
If you are a Music Therapist of Colour (qualified or in training) and would like to join us, please get in touch.
why
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"You guys know about vampires?...You, know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There’s this idea that monsters don’t have reflections in a mirror. And what I’ve always thought isn’t that monsters don’t have reflections in a mirror. It’s that if you want to make a human into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflections of themselves.” –Junot Diaz (2009)
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When we call ourselves "monster" we are actively reclaiming the thing which was denied to us: our reflections–-and therefore, our racial and cultural identities. We can no longer be the "monster" we've been made into by the dominant race/culture when we are seen by each other and when we can see ourselves in each other. On an equally profound level, the word "monster" is used between jazz musicians as a descriptor of expertise in one's craft. “You’re a Monster!” means you’ve killed it onstage and are a master at bringing your instrument to life. As musicians who believe in the inherent healing properties of music, we are proud to be "monsters" who can recognize other "monsters" in our beauty, diversity, talent, and resilience.
Diaz, Junot. (2009). Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz tells students his story. Accessed at https://www.nj.com/ledgerlive/2009/10/junot_diazs_new_jersey.html on 24 November 2024.
Norris, M. S. (2020). A Call for Radical Imagining: Exploring Anti-Blackness in the Music Therapy Profession. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 20(3), 6. https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v20i3.3167