Contribution short abstract:

This paper examines the importance of music for an individual who also suffers from chronic mental illness. Although the individual frequently belted out songs relevant to her community throughout the day, she did not make progress in music therapy. This paper explores why this may be.

Contribution long abstract:

Taking up the case of a Bhutanese Nepali refugee living in Columbus Ohio, this paper examines the importance of music for an individual who also suffers from chronic mental illness. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and exhibiting signs of autism, the individual did not converse, or engage in meaningful interactions; rather she paced, babbled and, when the mood struck, broke out in song. Having established music as a preferred expressive form, the researcher expected the individual to be responsive to music therapy, and linked her with a professional. After several weeks, however, the music therapist declined to continue treatment, reporting a lack of engagement and a lack of progress. In this paper the researcher seeks to understand what conditions enable a person so musically oriented to remain unresponsive to music-based treatment. In doing so, the researcher also theorizes how exactly might one examine the relationship between an individual and music without the use of language. The researcher also theorizes how one might use the imagination to explore the role music plays, for that individual, both as a passive medium, something to be watched or listened to, and as an active medium, something to be engaged with and used as a means of communication.

E-paper: this Contribution will not be presented, but read in advance and discussed