As the first year of my two year A Level course comes to a close, I’m beginning to look at what I want to do in the future and what path I will take. My name is Iona and music has always been a passion of mine from a young age. However, now I am looking to take my music more seriously into a career. Music Therapy interested me from the moment I heard about it; the way in which music can act, not only as a form of escape for the person playing, but to physically and mentally help others is a thing of wonder. Personally, this area of study would be incredible to go into.

Last week I was lucky enough to be given a day’s work experience at the Head Office of Music as Therapy International. Whilst I was there I did some admin tasks, watched some sessions of music therapy in action and was lucky enough to watch the second draft of the Music as Therapy film the team have been working so hard on over the past few months. The team were nothing but friendly and helpful; it is clear they all work together well as a team and the results are truly amazing. With more and more projects spreading across the world, music is being used in many different ways and in different cultures to further enrich the lives of others. The best thing about this is how the music is being adapted to suit each culture and as many people as possible so that everyone can benefit from music therapy, thanks to Music as Therapy International.

Watching the film the team are putting together with the help of a filmmaker was inspiring; the sheer dedication the team have put in and will continue to put into making the film something really special was hugely insightful and it clearly demonstrated how much the charity means to each of the partners in Music as Therapy International. The team also wanted to hear an outsider’s perspective and I felt hugely grateful when my comments were taken on board.

The day gave me a glimpse into what is and will continue to be a successful and life changing charity. I would like to thank Alexia and her colleagues for such an insightful day where I was given a taste of what the charity do, how it works, and what being a part of the team could involve. I am hugely thankful and wish the charity nothing but good luck.