BLACK WOMEN'S MUSIC THERAPY
Research Collective
BlackWomensMusicTherapy.net
About Us
Defining an Area of Study
Defining an Area of Study
Defining an Area of Study
This collaborative brings together scholars, counselors, and musicians to provide creative resources relevant to the well-being of women in the African Diaspora.
Talks and Consultations
Defining an Area of Study
Defining an Area of Study
Members of this research collective offer community talks, keynote lectures, workshops, and consultations in their respective areas of mental health and wellness expertise.
Resources
Defining an Area of Study
Resources
Visitors can connect to resources like the Black Women's Music Database to create playlists and creative resources. For example:
- Africana Yoga #1 (Slow)
- Africana Yoga # 2 (Bangin')
The Collective
Stephanie Y. Evans, PhD
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Marisol Norris, MA, MT-BC
Professor and Director of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Georgia State University. Author of several books, including Black Women's Yoga History: Memoirs of Inner Peace and lead co-editor of Black Women's Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability. Founder of Black Women's Music Therapy Research Collective.
Marisol Norris, MA, MT-BC
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Marisol Norris, MA, MT-BC
Board-Certified Music Therapist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Music Therapy, specializing in expressive arts therapies at Drexel University. Founder of The Black Music Therapy Network, Inc. and Regional Board Member of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Board-Certified Music Therapist and Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Music Therapy, Indiana University Purdue University Indiana.
Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD
Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD
Natasha A. Thomas, MS, MT-BC
Full Professor and Director of Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders among African Americans at Kent State University. Architect and developer of the Build Your Own Theme Song© App and author of Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Woman's Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Fear. Recipient of federal, state and foundation funding, including grants from National Institute of Mental Health and National Science Foundation.
Melita Belgrave, PhD
Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD
Melita Belgrave, PhD
Associate Professor of Music Therapy in Arizona State University's School of Music. BA in music therapy from Michigan State University, certification in aging studies, and PhD in music education (music therapy emphasis) at Florida State University. Experience in special education, mental health, rehabilitation, hospice, geriatric, and intergenerational settings. Research published in Journal of Music Therapy and Music Therapy Perspectives.
Rachel Bagby, JD
Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD
Melita Belgrave, PhD
Graduate of Stanford University Law, an innovator in poetry and song. A soprano formerly in Bobby McFerrin’s original international touring ensemble, Voicestra. Consultant, and author of two books, Sounding Hidden Truths, Ignite your Freedom and Divine Daughters: Liberating the Power and Passion of Women’s Voices.
Discussion: Black Aesthetics and the Art Therapies
April 15, 2021. First Look at VOICES Journal Special Issue
Dr. Evans joins a "first look" therapist and graduate student reading circle about the special edition of Voices journal and interviews the Editors who worked to analyze Blackness in professions of music, drama, and art therapy.
Reflections from Mynesha Whyte (Dance Movement Therapy) and arts therapies graduate students Danielle Swan (Art Therapy), Idalmis García (Drama Therapy) & Fakoya Jack-Vilmar (Music Therapy). Scholar-practitioners Marisol Norris (Music Therapy), Bitton Williams (Drama Therapy), and Leah Gipson (Art Therapy) discuss foundations of their practice and influential Black scholars who impacted their work, recount the journey to publishing this groundbreaking--and discipline busting--edited volume, and identify take-away messages for the next generation of Black art therapists.
DISCUSSION: YouTube Video
Special Issue of VOICES
Black Aesthetics in VOICES: A WORLD FORUM FOR MUSIC THERAPY
We are looking forward to being in dialogue about the upcoming special issue on "Black Aesthetics and the Arts Therapies" in the journal Voices: A World Forum For Music Therapy. The volume is co-edited by three leaders in the world of art therapy:
- MUSIC: Marisol Norris (PhD)
Drexel University. Founder of The Black Music Therapy Network
- DRAMA: Britton Williams (MA, RDT, LCAT)
New York University. Founder of The Healing Stage
- ART: Leah Gipson (ATR-BC, LCPC)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Board Member of A Long Walk Home
This special issue is the first interdisciplinary journal issue in the arts therapies to center Black voices and critically examine the place and work of Black people. Voices has offered to host an interview with the guest editors to explore the significance of this special issue.
Black Women's Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Website
This Black Women's Mental Health website offers research and resources to inform and increase essential dialogue about African American women's wellness. This collaborative exchange connects students, faculty, practitioners, and activists to resources like the Black Women's Health Imperative. Visit our website at www.bwmentalhealth.net.
The Book
The new book Black Women's Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability (SUNY Press, July 2017) creates a framework to positively impact Black women’s wellness. Editors Stephanie Evans, Kanika Bell, and Nsenga Burton build a framework based on the expressed need for the concept of balance in mental health assessment and practice. Their “BREATHE” model values characteristics of both strength and vulnerability.
Black Women's Health Imperative
The Black Women's Health Imperative is the only organization devoted solely to advancing the health and wellness of America's 20 million Black women and girls through advocacy and public policy, health education, research and leadership development. Founded as the National Black Women's Health Project in 1983 by health activist and McArthur genius Byllye Y. Avery, the Imperative works to advance health equity and social justice for Black women across the lifespan.
American Music Therapy Association
AMTA's purpose is the progressive development of the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education, and community settings. Predecessors, unified in 1998, included the National Association for Music Therapy founded in 1950 and the American Association for Music Therapy founded in 1971. AMTA is committed to the advancement of education, training, professional standards, credentials, and research in support of the music therapy profession.
Black Music Therapy Network, Inc.
The Black Music Therapy Network, Inc. was created as a progressive response to the growing need for interconnectivity amongst Black music therapy professionals and music therapy degree-seeking students. Our purpose is to foster an environment of intellectual, political, cultural, and social growth and support for all our members as we strive towards effective stewardship within the communities we serve.