The role of songwriting in accepting visual impairments
- Music
Jorien Habing, a master’s student in Music Therapy, is one of the few music therapists in the Netherlands working with people with visual impairments. Jorien explains: "They have to adapt to various new experiences, such as walking with a cane or a guide dog, using a phone without sight, and reintegrating themselves into society as individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Music therapy plays a role in facilitating the acceptance process." For her finals research, Jorien examined the role of songwriting to help individuals in this new target population, adjust to living with visual impairment.
Music has inherent qualities which can reflect the social values of societies. Music therapist have the skilled training to use those inherent qualities to address targeted goals in the area of psychosocial, cognitive, and physical well-being. Jorien’s work focuses specifically on the needs of persons with visual impairment. “They are people just like you and me. They become blind, but they can still function well. That is often forgotten. Suddenly, you are restricted in various areas, even though you can still do so much. Therefore, I primarily focus on acceptance. However, I also engage in projects that promote participation. For example, within the context of a choir, I help people with visual impairments to regain their self-confidence."
Songwriting as a therapeutical tool
Jorien has been working as a music therapist for twelve years. A significant part of her work has involved writing songs with the people she guides. This interest led her to focusing her graduate research on the impact of songwriting on the acceptance process with the visually impaired. Why songwriting? Jorien explains: "songwriting supports grief processing and communication with the outside world. It helps express difficult emotions. At the same time, you have a tangible end product that you can share with the world."
They are people just like you and me. They become blind, but they can still function well. That is often forgotten. Suddenly, you are restricted in various areas, even though you can still do so much."
For her finals research, Jorien developed a songwriting intervention for people with visual impairments. The songwriting intervention has a positive effect, according to Jorien. "All clients have benefitted from songwriting, particularly in terms of expressing emotions," says Jorien. "Some of my clients have reported that through a song, they were able to make their situation tangible to outsiders, leading to better understanding. It was a challenging but enjoyable process. The structure of a song and working towards a final result creates a drive that makes it 'fun' to engage in."
After graduation, Jorien definitely wants to continue her research on songwriting. "Those songs truly raise awareness in society, and that is important. Inclusion and participation are crucial—something I want to continue advocating for."
In this video, you will hear one of the songs that Jorien made together with Jeff Horsten. Jeff has Usher syndrome, a hereditary condition characterized by a combination of hearing loss or deafness and progressive vision loss or blindness.
More confidence in her practice
Jorien is the only student graduating from the master's course in Music Therapy this year. She has mixed feelings about it: "It's a shame that I can't exchange ideas with fellow students. You are quite isolated. However, the advantage is that you receive individual lessons, allowing you to delve deeper into the subject matter and gain more information." The research has further strengthened her confidence in her practice. "I have always witnessed the impact of my work on people. There is a genuine connection between acceptance and songwriting. Through my research, I can now also provide theoretical support for the things I have always done." To students considering pursuing a master's course in Music Therapy, she emphasizes the importance of having a plan. “Yes, start out with a plan. You are given the freedom to shape the training as you wish. It is important to remain alert and to be able to fall back on the plan that you’ve made.”
