This reflection piece narrates a turning point in my music therapy journey: a once-negative experience evolved into a core foundation for developing innovative therapeutic interventions for breaking down barriers to promote accessibility, social harmony, and a sense of belonging among children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Growing up, I was constantly immersed in music through my parents, who often played songs by The Beatles, The Carpenters, and the like on our CD player. Until now, my father would play his audio recording of my sister and me singing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin and my mother’s rendition of “Never Been to Me” by Charlene. My early musical experiences led me to pursue a Music Production degree in my home country, where I encountered a culture of conformity and exclusivity. A sense of sophistication was expected to belong – you had to like the same music or perform at a certain level, leading to pressures and feelings of inadequacy.
Six years later, I dropped everything to study Music Therapy in Australia. My experiences in the field reshaped my relationship and understanding of music and led to advocating for healthy and enjoyable relationships in music for my clients and kindergartens.
In one of my kindergarten group sessions, I learned that a few of the children are non-English-speaking, which also reflected in their limited engagement during the familiar song-singing of English songs. I then used the universally known melody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and invited the children to hum or vocalize simple sounds like “ah” or “ooh” while placing their hands on their hearts to feel how they were producing sounds, creating a soothing and inclusive experience.