წაიკითხეთ ეს ქართულად.

Everything began on the day I received the wonderful news that my presentation had successfully passed the selection process. For the first time, Georgia would be officially represented at the World Congress of Music Therapy with an oral presentation, and I would have the honour of delivering it. It was not only a moment of personal joy, but also one of immense responsibility and pride. From that moment on, I found myself thinking about the people I would finally meet in person and the experiences that awaited me.

For me, the Congress was about much more than presenting my work and introducing Georgia’s developing music therapy profession to an international audience. It was an opportunity to meet face to face the colleagues with whom I had collaborated online for several years while adapting the Music as Therapy International Distance Learning Programme for Georgia. We spent many months working together on translation, terminology and cultural adaptation to ensure that the programme would be both accessible and meaningful for Georgian professionals. Although we were meeting in person for the very first time in Bologna, it felt as though we had been friends for years.

Music as Therapy International holds a very special place in my professional journey. Through this organisation, I have had the opportunity to become part of an international professional community and to gain invaluable experience. Its founder, the wonderful Alexia Quin, has been the person who opened the door to the international world of music therapy for me. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Elsa Hariades, for her warmth, kindness and positive energy.

It was also a great pleasure to meet my Romanian colleagues, Monika Manases and Eleonora Rosca, who lead the same Distance Learning Programme in Romania that we now deliver in Georgia. Their support and willingness to share their experience reminded me once again that the international music therapy community is truly one big family, united by shared values and a common purpose.

Meeting everyone in person was incredibly emotional. The people who have played such an important role in shaping the development of contemporary music therapy in Georgia turned out to be exactly as I had imagined, genuine, warm, full of humour, and deeply person-centred.

You can be an excellent music therapist, but it is even more important to be a kind, humble and genuinely person-centred human being.

Every day of the Congress brought new knowledge, inspiring conversations and opportunities to exchange ideas. I met many music therapists whom I had previously known only through online supervision, professional meetings or their publications.

One of the greatest joys was meeting the people who had supported me so generously at the very beginning of my professional journey. They shared their experience freely, encouraged me, and offered invaluable advice that became one of the foundations of my professional development.

Among them, I would especially like to mention the remarkable Alan Turry, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Bologna. In addition to the guidance he offered me early in my career, a few years ago he and his colleague, Jacqueline Birnbaum, generously wrote professional comments and endorsements for my book. Their words were later included in its publication and remain something I treasure deeply. That is why meeting Alan in person became one of the most emotional and memorable moments of the entire Congress.

The Congress itself was filled with inspiring workshops, jam sessions, discussions and ideas that continue to motivate me long after returning home.

Despite the July heat in Bologna, our enthusiasm never faded. We walked for miles, sang together, laughed constantly, and even spent rainy evenings full of humour and good company. One particularly enjoyable moment was introducing my colleagues to Georgian cuisine at a Georgian restaurant, where I realised that I had already started missing the flavours of home.

What stayed with me

Once I returned from the Congress and had time to reflect on everything I had experienced, several important thoughts stayed with me.

The first is that professionalism is about much more than knowledge and clinical skills. You can be an excellent music therapist, but it is even more important to be a kind, humble and genuinely person-centred human being. These were exactly the kinds of professionals I met in Bologna.

Secondly, I was deeply impressed by the patience and respect shown by so many leading specialists when responding to questions from students and early-career professionals. Many of these questions were undoubtedly ones they had answered countless times before, yet every response was given with genuine interest, respect and equality. That sense of openness was reflected not only in discussions but in every interaction throughout the Congress.

Thirdly, not a single presentation I attended left me feeling that music therapy was an inaccessible or overwhelmingly difficult profession. On the contrary, every presenter shared their work in such an engaging and encouraging way that listeners were inspired to imagine themselves following the same path. I believe that is a truly exceptional quality in a presenter.

Finally, one of the greatest honours for me was serving not only as a presenter, but also as a moderator for several Congress sessions. I am incredibly grateful that I accepted this opportunity, because I returned home with a double experience: representing Georgia as a speaker and contributing to the Congress as an international session moderator.

This one week will remain with me for the rest of my life. It reminded me once again that anything is possible when you truly believe in your work, continue learning, work with integrity, and value human relationships just as much as professional knowledge. Experiences like these give us the strength to continue our journey with even greater enthusiasm.

If I had to describe these unforgettable days in just one phrase, it would simply be: La Dolce Vita!