Now approaching the fourth year of our “Associate” model of delivery for the Interactive Music-Making (IMM) programme, we are fortunate to continue – and extend – our collaborations with many brilliant early years and music therapy organisations who share our enthusiasm for Interactive Music-Making and for the role of music in early years.

Our Associate organisations bring a collective wealth of contemporary expertise, helping us to extend the reach of the training and also broadening our teaching team with contributions from a range of guest music therapists – thus strengthening the impact for our Interactive Music-Making students.

We are delighted to announce the Associate organisations who will deliver our 2025-26 Interactive Music-Making programme alongside us:

The Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Music Therapy Service provides music therapy services for Children and Young People of South London. They operate clinics within schools and children centres in the Boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham as well as a community clinic for the Children and Young People of Greenwich who have a diagnosis of autism. In addition to their paediatric services, they are continuously developing their adult provision in various mental health and community settings.

We are grateful to Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust for supporting Music Therapist Gill O’Dempsey’s contribution to our teaching during this year’s training.

I am delighted to re-join the IMM team, representing Oxleas Music Therapy Service. I know what a huge impact this training on the practitioners who take part in it, and the children they work with. I am a firm believer in the importance of developing musical confidence and skills in the people who work with children each day, and the wider impact this can have on Early Years settings. The course combines practical and theoretical elements that help practitioners recognise the innate musicality they already bring to their practice and to understand how this can be used to support children’s interaction and development.

Gillian O’Dempsey, Highley Specialist Music Therapist, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

North London Music Therapy CIC provides music therapy for anyone, of any age, with a mental health condition such as stress, anxiety or depression. They also work with people living with conditions such as autism, stroke and dementia. They have two clinics, one in Temple Fortune, North London, and one in Blackheath, South London, and their Outreach Service takes place in multiple venues with partnership organisations across North, Central and South East London.

We are grateful to North London Music Therapy CIC for supporting Music Therapist Marina Emmanouil’s contribution to our teaching during this year’s training.

Engaging babies and young children in musical activities is fundamental to healthy brain development. It’s always fascinating to see a young child engage in musical interaction. It’s instinctual and innate, and every child should have the opportunity to experience relationships through music.

Rivka Gottlieb, Senior Music Therapist, North London Music Therapy

The Music Therapy Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides music therapy for young children with significant and complex developmental needs and their families. They also run varied projects, developing services within maternity, neonatal care, and early years education. Their team work across three central London sites as well as community settings.

Particular thanks to Juliet Wood and Dr Claire Flower from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

As providers of music therapy for young children and families, we firmly believe in the benefits of music making to support development and well-being in early year. The Interactive Music-Making course equips early years practitioners to feel confident in making music with the children they work with. We are pleased to champion the course and delighted to continue our support for this vital training.

Juliet Wood, Clinical Lead for Music Therapy, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Nordoff and Robbins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity, with an approach shaped by more than 60 years of practice.

Their vision is to live in a world where through music therapy, people’s true potential is realised regardless of disability, illness, or exclusion.

Working one-to-one or with small groups, their therapists create a platform for people to express themselves and share a connection.

Our thanks to David Robinson and Sandra Schembri from Nordoff and Robbins.

Nordoff and Robbins is delighted to recommend the IMM course as it seeks to equip early years practitioners in using music-making to support children’s development, drawing on music therapy techniques.

David Robinson, Head of Music Services (Delivery) at Nordoff and Robbins

Primary Advantage

Primary Advantage is a federation of seven primary schools in Hackney who work closely and collaboratively together to ensure the best education and outcomes for the children in their communities. We are very grateful for their generous hosting of this year’s IMM training in Hackney.

We are really excited to be involved with the IMM course this year. We have been lucky enough for two of our practitioners across the Federation to have already taken part in the IMM training, equipping them with the skills to deliver high quality group sessions targeted at our nursery children.

These sessions have significantly improved children’s attention, listening and communication skills. Children are now much more confident in turn taking and sharing, demonstrating improved social interactions. The principles of IMM align seamlessly with our principles of high-quality early years education. By integrating music as a tool to learning, we’ve observed a real impact on children’s social communication skills, laying strong foundations for their future learning and well-being.

Quaggy Development Trust provide services to support young children and their families in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

When we sing our favourite song, we know it produces the love hormone, oxytocin. That’s one of the reasons why we value and promote singing in our nurseries and Children’s Centres. We also sing with our children, as we know it helps promotes attention and listening and language development, plus it’s a fantastic way of forming relationships with children,  as everyone loves to sing a good song.

Lis Day, Children’s Centre Lead, Quaggy Development Trust