Music Therapy: A Different Way to Help

The British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) states on its website, ‘Throughout history, music has been used therapeutically to support and improve well-being, and facilitate positive change.‘ I’d imagine that all musicians would find some resonance with this statement, recognising the power of music in their own lives and seeing the effects it has on their audiences or pupils. Prior to training as a music therapist myself, I was intrigued by music’s multiple effects: it could induce powerful emotions in someone, soothe a child to sleep, enable someone with dementia to sing or someone with Parkinson’s disease to move more freely. Knowing the value of music in my own life caused me to embark on a career path which is deeply fulfilling for me and one where my violin has had a special role to play.