Addressing imperialist white supremacist capitalist ableist cisheteropatriarchy in music therapy education

Music therapy education occurs within larger interlocking systems. The purpose of this study was to critically examine how music therapy educators understand interlocking systems and how these can reproduce harm and cause inequalities. Furthermore, this study sought to illuminate systems of oppression that shape music therapy education in the United States. This qualitative study used critical thematic analysis to analyze the data from eight music therapy professors working in the United States. Participants were recruited through purposive expert sampling using professional networks. Analysis revealed five central themes: interlocking systems of oppression in music therapy education, gatekeeping, and structural oppression in higher education, how structures of power influence curriculum design, power and oppression in retention practices, and pathways toward equity. These themes reflected the tensions and possibilities that exist in the interlocking systems that interface with and influence music therapy education in the United States. The findings highlighted the need for critical reflection in music therapy and institutional support for equity driven structures. This study contributes to the growing body of critical music therapy scholarship by illuminating how educators understand and enact social justice in their teaching. Implications for music therapy education, faculty and institutional leadership, accrediting and approval bodies, and future research are discussed.