Latin American Cultural and Musical Contexts in Music Therapy

Culturally-conscious music therapy has the power to create meaningful therapeutic connections between practitioners and clients from different backgrounds, and to support healing by honoring clients’ heritages and experiences.

This essential handbook dives into the wide range of linguistic, historical, and cultural influences that shape different Latin American clients, and suggests ways to apply these contexts in music therapy settings. Stories, case studies, and research provide a comprehensive overview of both theory and its practical applications, allowing better client-centred practice. Examples shown through the perspective of therapists and clients demonstrate ways to develop culturally-competent practice, as well as highlighting its importance in supporting clients from different backgrounds and helping Latine therapists to weave their own heritage into their work.

A key resource for therapists and care professionals working with Latine and Hispanic clients, this guide broadens the horizons of music therapy and reinforces the diversity at its heart.

Patricia Zarate Perez is Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music.
She has worked for over 20 years as an advocate for music therapy in Latin America and the world. She trained with the first generation of music therapists from Berklee College of Music.
In 2011, she founded the Latin American Music Therapy Network in Boston.
In 2013, Perez founded the Latin American Music Therapy Symposium in Panama City, Panama.
In 2015 she founded the Music Therapy Center of Panama.
She currently serves as the President of the Music Therapy Association of Panama (APAMU) and Vice-President of the Comité Latinoamericano de Musicoterapia (CLAM).