Date of Award

Spring 5-17-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Leticia Prieto Álvarez, PhD, MT-BC/NMT, LMHC

Abstract

Metal music is a genre which appears to be minimally researched and utilized within the context of music therapy. Despite its often loud and disruptive musical sound and sometimes violent lyrics, many fans of metal report mental health benefits from engaging with the music and participating in metal subculture. It is also well documented that metal as a genre is deeply rooted in a culture of White cisheteronormative masculinity, which often results in the scene being hostile toward women and gender minority fans and artists. Yet, many of these individuals express feelings of liberations brought on through engagement with metal music. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to review the current literature connecting the concepts of metal music, gender issues, and music therapy in order to answer the following research questions: What are the implications of using metal music with women and gender minority metal fan clients in the context of music therapy? And can metal music be used in the context of music therapy as a tool of liberation and empowerment for women and gender minority clients? It is concluded that metal music, when used with care, may serve as a useful tool to support liberation and empowerment of women and gender minority clients who are metal fans or musicians. To support this goal, the music must be used not only for individual client empowerment, but also for social advocacy toward gender equality.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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