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The Intensive Study Training is a core element of the Distance Learning Programme: „Music as Therapy for Children with Disabilities”. This year’s Romanian edition took place in Oradea, Centrul Școlar de Educație Incluzivă Nr. 1 (a special needs school), over the weekend of 20th-21st September.

The Training brought together 9 participants from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the local team of three trainers. You can read more about their experiences in this blog post.

The aim of the weekend was to help students to put in practice all the knowledge they gained during the 8-month Theoretical Part. During the Intensive Study Training, participants had the opportunity to revisit core concepts of Music as Therapy through video analysis, sharing ideas and practising their skills through role-playing.

I noticed a significant difference between the musical activities I typically engage in with children and a Music as Therapy session.

Participant

The Intensive Study Training also served as the bridge to the Practical Part of the course, which involves leading 8 music sessions with groups of children with disabilities. We are delighted to share that all students have successfully started their sessions.

For the past three years, the stewardship of our Distance Learning Programme in Romania has been entrusted to a highly skilled team from the country: Monika Manases (Moderator), Eleonora Roșca (Supervisor), and Larisa Neculai (Coordinator).

Monika Manases (Course Moderator) leads the Romanian association Sound Art E-motion, 

Its partnership with Music as Therapy International enables the course to offer 50 COPSI credits (awarded by the Romanian College of Psychologists). Monika shared her experience of the weekend below:

The Intensive Study Training taught us, through role-play and case study analysis, how to identify and flexibly use the techniques and strategies already explored in the Tutorials. The weekend helped us not only acknowledge affective attunement, unconditional positive regard, and the person-centred approach at a mental level (like a recipe), but actually to embody these attitudes. We did this by stepping into the client’s or the session leader’s shoes, allowing the experiences to surround us, to slide smoothly from conscious processing into the unconscious, and to become a part of us. Thus, during the upcoming sessions, our consciously chosen manifestations (in line with our goals and our desire to connect) will automatically and naturally be infused with these attitudes.

Monika Manases (Course Moderator)

Eleonora Roșca (Practical Assignment Supervisor) is a Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapist who also specialises in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). Read Eli’s thoughts about the Intensive Study Training below:

During the Intensive Study Training weekend, we had the privilege of meeting students who were warm, creative, and refreshingly open-minded. They weren’t afraid to take risks, share their expectations, or speak honestly about their fears – a true testament to their openness and courage. I left feeling deeply inspired and encouraged.

Eleonora Roșca (Practical Assignment Supervisor)

Larisa Neculai (Course Coordinator) is a UK-qualified music therapist, specialising in paediatric music therapy. Here’s what Larisa wrote about the Intensive Study Training:

Each cohort of students is valuable in its own way thanks to the participants’ uniqueness as well as other elements that naturally contribute to group cohesion. The reality of the training room changes each year, which is why I always approach the study weekend with curiosity (and a myriad of other emotions!). If I were to summarise this year’s Intensive Study Weekend, I’d start by congratulating the participants for their courage to venture into self-reflection; I’d then applaud their interest in music and play, as well as their honest desire to deepen the concepts explored in this course. It was a true delight to make music together, and it’s hard to put into words the fulfilment I felt looking around the room and thinking: ‘They’ve got this! ‘


Larisa Neculai (Course Coordinator)

Congratulations to everyone, and best of luck as the Practical Assignment progresses!

Music as Therapy International has been offering the Distance Learning Programme “Therapeutic Music Work with Children with Disabilities” in Romania since 2011. The course will soon open recruitment for the 2026 cohort. You can express your interest in joining next year’s course by emailing: larisaneculai@musicastherapy.org