The British Society for Music Therapy (BSMT) was founded in 1958 by Juliette Alvin and colleagues with the object of promoting the use and development of music therapy, writes Denize Christophers.
At that time music therapy was scarcely known as a profession, although music had been acknowledged as a means of healing for thousands of years. The ability to appreciate and respond to music is an inborn quality in human beings which usually remains unimpaired by handicap, injury or illness, and is not dependent on music training. For people who find verbal communication an inadequate form of self-expression, music therapy offers a safe, secure space for the release of feelings. Furthermore, music therapy involves a relationship between the therapist and client in which music becomes a way of promoting change and growth.
The BSMT was vital in supporting the work of the early pioneers and in helping the developing profession to gain the respect and status which it now enjoys. The Society has since grown into an organisation which reaches people with an interest in music therapy all over the UK and worldwide. Our members receive two journals a year, containing articles on current work with adults and children suffering from many different disabilities, as well as a news bulletin three times a year giving information on meetings, conferences, new books, etc. We hold introductory days for the general public as well as workshops and conferences aimed at the working music therapist and other professionals. We sell books at our meetings ? the largest number of music therapy books you will ever see ? and also sell them by mail order.
There have been six music therapy training courses for several years and this year a new course will open in Edinburgh, the first in Scotland. The Association of Professional Music Therapists (APMT) was founded in 1976 by the Society, and is the organisation in Great Britain for qualified music therapists. It aims to look after professional matters concerning pay and conditions, standards of clinical practice and promotion of music therapy information. This is now even more important since the government introduced state registration of the arts therapies, a significant development for the profession.
Denize Christophers is Administrator of the BSMT. t/f: 020 8368 8879;
e: info@bsmt.org; w: http://www.bsmt.org. The 10th World Congress of Music Therapy will be held at the University of Oxford from July 23-28 For information w: http://www.mt2002.org