Let’s rock: The means and meanings of participation in a music therapy rock band

This case study explores the means and meanings of participation in a music therapy rock band. The Smooth Criminals is a band composed of five young adult members diagnosed with developmental disabilities and four assistants, comprising three music therapists/interns and a volunteer. Data generation occurred between 2013 and 2016 in a music therapy clinic in the Southwest of the United States and included video recordings of weekly rehearsals and three concerts, field notes, a researcher journal, and interviews with members, their families, and the facilitators/assistants. Analysis entailed a recursive process of axial coding with early themes informing questions and inquiries explored later in the study. Themes in the findings include (1) the band as a space for community and mutual care for all participants, (2) the band as a space to play with and construct personal identity, and (3) adaptations and accommodations used to support the band. Experiences in the band held communal and social meanings for members, facilitated by band members’ self-adaptive strategies and the support roles of the facilitators. The discussion explores possible applications of the themes and what might be adapted and transposed from community music therapy experiences such as this into music education contexts.