(Soma iyi nkuru muri Kinyarwanda.)

The main differences we see in most of our Partners’ use of music following our activities and approaches, are often what is described by our Theory of Change  as level 1 (Experience) and 2 (Explore). So first of experiencing the role that music plays for themselves and the people in their care, e.g. equipped to use music, feeling supported, etc., then onto exploring further what the use of music does, e.g. caregivers getting to know those they care for better whilst having meaningful experiences with them through using music.


But it is always incredible when we see the different ways our Partners’ use of music is really immersed into what they do as set out in level 3 (Embed) of our Theory of Change.  With our Rwandan Partners from Youth Led Musical Therapy (YLMT), we have really seen how they have grown over the years as we invested in entrusting and supporting their leadership to extend their use of music. And more recently, our Partners have been taking on new opportunities to advocate for the role of music in care.


Last year saw Audace Musoni from YLMT speak to Dr Nicky Haire, one of our Advisory Panel members who has previously delivered some of our activities in Rwanda. The purpose of the conversation was to create a teaching resource which Nicky can show to her music therapy trainees at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. In the discussions, Audace talks about the hope that YLMT can one day be the umbrella for people using music in East Africa. Below you can watch some video extracts of the recorded conversation to find out more about Youth Led Musical Therapy and the vision for music as therapy in Rwanda.
Note: the conversation in the video is in English and the video has English subtitles.