Madness and Distress in Music Education: Toward a Mad-Affirming Approach

Madness and Distress in Music Education offers an in-depth exploration of mental health and emotional distress in the context of music education, offering new ways of thinking about these experiences and constructing ways to support distress through affirming pedagogy and practices in music education. Centering the lived experiences of 15 people in a range of roles across music education who self-identify an issue with their mental health, the volume addresses impacts on both students and educators. The author draws on Mad Studies and disability studies to present new paradigms for thinking about Madness and distress in the music context. Considering how people conceptualize their mental health, how distress impacts participation in music education, how music education may support or exacerbate distress, and discussing supports for distress that can be implemented in music education, this book is an essential resource for music educators, music education researchers, and preservice students seeking to understand the complexities of mental health in the music classroom.