Community Music Therapy for Marginalized Middle School Students

Abstract Community Music Therapy has been a recent development in the field of Music Therapy. Community Music Therapy occurs at the intersection of traditional Music Therapy and Community Music. Community Music Therapy incorporates principles of psychology, sociology, and ecology. Studies indicate that goals of self-efficacy, voice, social justice, and group cohesion are well met through the use of Community Music Therapy. This paper explores a project using Community Music Therapy with a group of self-selected middle school students in addressing concerns and emotions around equity, diversity, and inclusion. The results of this project demonstrated that Community Music Therapy is an effective method for addressing social justice issues with middle school students