Music Therapy for Mexican American Children: Cultural Implications and Practical Considerations

Mi agua, mi sangre read the tattoo of a young Mexican American, "my water, my blood." This tattoo, shared by her siblings, symbolizes how her family's roots, heritage, and culture always will be that of Mexico, even though they live in America. This is just one of many cultural identities found among Mexican Americans. Because Mexico has such rich and expansive traditions filled with musicality, family, and spirituality, there is a great deal of variability from one person to the next regarding preferences, acculturation, and identity.Since Hispanics make up the largest minority and are still growing in number in the United States, music therapists are likely to encounter individuals with this background in their professional and personal lives (Owens, 2006). Developing sensitivity to the cultural identity of Hispanic clients is challenging because there are vast differences between Hispanic cultures; this can sometimes lead to misunderstandings (McCaffrey, 2007). While other Hispanic countries may share some values and ideals mentioned in this article, this article focuses primarily upon Mexican American culture, which itself is distinct from Mexican culture1 (Castro, 2001; De Varona, 1996).Research indicates that music therapists consider multicultural education of increasing importance in America (Chase, 2003a; Darrow, 1 998; Shapiro, 2005; Toppozada, 1995). Additionally, administering culturally appropriate therapy is part of the American Music Therapy Association professional competencies (14.4, 1 5.4, 15.5: AMTA, 2009). Unfortunately, only one article exists within music therapy literature regarding cultural competence specific to Mexican Americans, and it focuses on migrant workers (Schwantes, 2010). The majority of music therapy articles on cultural competency address general principles (Chase, 2003a,b; Darrow, 1 998; Moreno, 1 988; Shapiro, 2005; Toppozada, T 995) or focus on other unique cultures (Chase, 2003b; Froman, 2009; Moreno, 1988). A review of literature revealed no extant music therapy literature regarding Mexican American children, including musical preferences, cultural mores, and implications for clinical practice.This article is divided into three parts. The first section will describe basic information about chosen salient features of the Mexican American population. The second part focuses on the musical culture of Mexican Americans and implications for music therapy with children and their families. The third part discusses the Spanish language barrier, bilingual classrooms, and implications for the music therapist.Part I: Description Of The Mexican Population In The U.S.There are 28,000,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans living in America, accounting for 1 0 percent of the nation and 65 percent of the Hispanic population (Owens, 2006). This steadily increasing population resides in all areas of the country, but predominately California, Arizona, Illinois, and Texas (Owens, 2006). This article focuses on individuals with Mexican descent, regardless of when their family came to America or if their family has lived here from the time that parts of America belonged to Mexico.The term "Mexican American" is used in this article to describe individuals living in America who were born in Mexico or are descendents of people born in Mexico. For the purposes of this article, the term Hispanic will be used because it is the official word used by the U. S government (Owens, 2006). However, appropriate use of certain terms will vary from person to person; therefore, the first step is learning how each term is usually defined.TerminologyChicano/a, Hispanic, Latino/a, Mexicano/a, Mexican American, and Tejano/a are the most widely used terms to identify individuals from Mexican descent (McCaffrey, 2007; Tatum, 2001 ; Telles ?Si Ortiz, 2008). While each term has a dictionary definition, actual use of these words is not consistent. These words can carry sentimental, generational, historical, geographical and political implications (De Varona, 1996; McCaffrey, 2007; Tatum, 2001). …