Between rights and realities – music as a structuring resource in child welfare everyday life: a qualitative study

Abstract

How is music related to adolescent agency and possibilities for various forms of participation in everyday life? This article is based on interviews of 15 adolescents with experiences of their everyday life in the Norwegian child welfare system. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 23 years, and they have all been living in a child welfare institution. They have also been participants in a community music therapy project, with activities such as playing in a band and writing songs. In this article, we focus on the aspects of these adolescents’ experiences of their everyday situation in child welfare and on how they use music as a resource. We analyse and discuss our empirical findings from two theoretical perspectives – a human rights perspective and a sociocultural perspective. The human rights discussion is related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in particular with regard to the concept of participation. The sociocultural perspective highlights conditions that enable participation. The findings suggest that experiences of stigma and lack of constructive dialogue with adults are central to their everyday life experience in child welfare aftercare. Participants in the study were able to use music to structure stories and facilitate dialogue with peers and adults. We discuss these findings in the light of contemporary theories on resources for agency and participation.