Ep 76 Hilary Davies

In this episode, Luke talks to Hilary Davies, with a focus on
music therapy and neurodiversity.


Hilary Davies is a freelance music therapist currently
specialising in working with autistic adults, including
recently-diagnosed autistic adults and autistic adults with
co-occurring conditions such as complex PTSD. She is also working
towards a PhD on the topic of neurodiversity paradigm-informed
music therapy practice with autistic people at the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama, funded by the Guildhall EDI in Music
Therapy PhD Studentship. Hilary has also worked in a variety of
other music therapy roles, including setting up and leading
projects for Music Place North West (in hospice care) and
Entelechy Arts.


Hilary trained as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama, graduating with distinction in 2019. She also
studied Music at the University of Cambridge (Gonville and Caius
College). Prior to training as a music therapist, Hilary worked
as a music teacher and freelance performer for more than a
decade.


Alongside her research on music therapy with autistic people from
a neurodiversity paradigm-perspective (a topic on which she has
published as well as presenting at various conferences including
BAMT 2021, European Music Therapy Conference 2022, World Music
Therapy Congress 2023 and guest lecturing at various
universities) Hilary has research interests in music therapy with
adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and
music therapy and disability studies, including the experience of
disabled music therapists (she is currently involved in a Music
Therapy Charity funded research project on this topic with Beth
Pickard). She is the founder and co-ordinator of the BAMT Support
Network for Disabled Music Therapists, and advocates in various
ways for the increased inclusion and understanding of disabled
people within the music therapy profession.


Links


Amanda Baggs - ‘In My Language’ -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc 


References


Davies, H. (2022) “Autism is a way of being”: An Insider
Perspective on Neurodiversity, music therapy and social justice”
in British Journal of Music Therapy 36 (1).


Devlin K (2018) “How do i see you, and what does that mean for
us? An autoethnographic study” in Music Therapy Perspectives
36(2).


Harris, T. A. (2012). I'm OK, you're OK. Random House.


Milton, D. (2012) “On the ontological status of autism: the
‘double empathy problem’” in Disability & Society 27 (6)


Pickard B, Thompson G, Metell M, Roginsky E., Elefant C. (2020)
“‘It’s Not What’s Done, But Why It’s Done’: Music therapists’
understanding of normalisation, maximisation and the
neurodiversity movement” in Voices: A World Forum for Music
Therapy 20(3)


Price, D (2022) Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing our
Hidden Neurodiversity New York: Penguin Random House


Singer, J (1998 / 2017) NeuroDiversity: The Birth of an Idea.
Kindle Edition.


Shiloh, C.J. & Blythe Lagasse, A. (2014) “Sensory Friendly
Concerts: A community music therapy initiative to promote
Neurodiversity” in International Journal of Community Music 7 (1)


Walker, N. (2012) “Throw Away the Master’s Tools: Liberating
Ourselves from the Pathology Paradigm” in  J. Bascom
(ed.)Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking Washington: Autistic
Self-Advocacy Network.


Walker, N. (2021) Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the
Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal
Possibilities Fort Worth: Autonomous Press.


Winter P (2012) Loud hands and loud voices. In: Bascom J (ed.)
Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking. Washington, DC: Autistic
Self-Advocacy Network.