Music of Motherhood: History, Healing, and Activism

Product Description

Mothering and music are complex and universal events, the structure and function of each show remarkable variability across social domains and different cultures. Al- though motherhood studies and studies in music are each recognized as important areas of research, the blending of the two topics is a recent innovation. The chapters in this collection bring together artists and scholars in conversations about the multiple profound relationships that exist between music and mothering. The discussions are varied and exciting. Several of the chapters revolve around the challenges of mothering partnered with a musical career; others look at the affordances that music offers to mothers and children; and some of the chapters examine the ways in which music inspires social and political change, as well as acknowledging the rise of the mom rock phenomenon.

Review

Music of Motherhood is a fascinating read both an engaging set of short stories and also an academic gem. M. Joy Rose, Lynda Ross, and Jennifer Hartmann have put together an intriguing set of chapters involving a range of methodological approaches that span the range of insightful research to interesting and moving narratives. The book could just as easily be assigned reading for a music course or example of research methods as it could be a gift for a friend, parent, or musician --A. S. Cohen Miller, Assistant Professor, Co-Director of The Consortium of Gender Scholars, and Founder of The Motherscholar Project

Music of Motherhood gives a much-needed voice to women about motherhood and its relationship to music. Too often, women's voices and experiences are devalued. The book's rich tapestry of approaches offers readers a pathway to learn more about the important and many roles music plays in the lives and experiences of women. --Ann M. Savage, Ph.D., Butler University

The blending of empirical research and personal experience and making the connection to and benefits of using music as therapy and medicine to express and heal cannot be denied. The book delves into and dissects the proven affects music has on every aspect of motherhood; pregnancy, labor, postpartum, trauma including the everyday heroics of motherhood. It illuminates, engages, enlightens and inspires. I implore pregnant women to devour every word --Amy Simon, actress, playwright, writer, producer, and Cultural Herstorian.

About the Author

Martha Joy Rose Author Biography: Martha Joy Rose is a musician, concert promoter, museum founder, and fine artist. Her work has been published across blogs and academic journals and she has performed with her band Housewives On Prozac on Good Morning America, CNN, and the Oakland Art & Soul Festival to name a few. She is the NOW-NYC recipient of the Susan B. Anthony Award, her Mamapalooza Festival Series has been recognized as "Best in Girl-Power Events" in New York, and her music has appeared on the Billboard Top 100 Dance Charts. She founded the Museum of Motherhood in 2003, created the Motherhood Foundation 501c3 non-profit in 2005, saw it flourish in NYC from 2011-2014, and then pop up at several academic institutions. Her current live/work space in Kenwood St. Petersburg, Florida is devoted to the exploration of mother-labor as performance art. Lynda Ross is a professor of women’s and gender studies in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University in Alberta. She graduated with a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of New Brunswick in 1998. Lynda’s research interests focus on the social construction of theory and ‘disorder,’ attachment, and motherhood. Tying together these interests, her first book on the subject, Interrogating Motherhood, was published by the AU Press in December 2016. Jennifer Hartmann is an ethnomusicologist, violist, and liturgical vocalist who holds a BMus (history and literature) from Dalhousie University and a MA (musicology) from McGill University. She is currently a PhD candidate at Memo