Narrative repair with older adults in music therapy: honouring the authentic story

Older adults are at risk of having their stories defined for them based on cultural expectations about the values and preferences of certain generations. In music therapy, these expectations can manifest in assumptions about how older adults relate to and engage with music. The resulting conflict between the authentic story and the assumed story is transgenerational narrative distortions where members of one generation disrupt, destabilise and deconstruct the lived experiences of another generation through a cultural projection of values, expectations and perspectives. Older adults stand to benefit from a process of narrative repair amplifying their authentic stories through a focus on whole persons defined by past, present and future experiences. Narratology provides a theoretical structure for shaping narrative repair processes through the theoretical constructs of 'historical epics' and 'novel': whereas historical epics frame the past as fixed and unmoving, novels understand characters to be in continuous evolution. Older adults in music therapy who are received as novels are subsequently empowered to continue forming identity through the full spectrum of their life. Clinical vignettes are provided to illustrate the harms of narrative distortions in music therapy, and how narrative repair can be reflexively integrated into culturally responsible assessment and clinical decision-making. Recommendations for clinicians include (A) Continued exploration of aspirational cultural humility, particularly as it relates to messaging about age and identity formation, (B) Development of reflexive assessments that navigate multiple areas of knowledge to determine health-optimising music experiences for older adults, and (C) Expansion of the repertories and intervention designs introduced in music therapy.