Voices ResourcesA website for the worldwide community around the journal Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy

This Journal issue of Voices is dedicated to an esteemed colleague who passed away this year: Dr. Helen Bonny. As a pioneer in music therapy, she witnessed the foundation of the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) in 1985. Dr. Helen Bonny contributed to the international development of music therapy through sharing her perspectives in writings, trainings and presentations. During the 1999 “Many Voices, One Song” WFMT World Congress of Music Therapy in Washington D.C., she was one of the speakers introducing five major music therapy approaches in the field. The WFMT Council acknowledges and honors her contributions to the field and is grateful for her pioneering spirit that she carried out to the world.

The World Federation of Music Therapy is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. As outlined in the mission statement: “The WFMT is dedicated to developing and promoting music therapy throughout the world as an art and science. The Federation supports the global development of educational programs, clinical practice, and research to demonstrate the contributions of music therapy to humanity.” From the beginning, the WFMT functioned as an umbrella organization, bringing together music therapy associations and individuals interested and active in fulfilling this mission. Over the past two and a half decades, eight Presidents and their respective boards have dedicated their time, knowledge, and experiences to further develop music therapy worldwide. In February 2010, current WFMT President Dr. Petra Kern, published an article on the Historical Aspects of the WFMT that highlights the achievements, moments to remember, and wishes for the development of the Federation (Kern, 2010). This article is part of a series of monthly events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the World Federation of Music Therapy.

I also want to bring to your attention a paper by the WFMT’s Regional Liaisons published in June 2010, which demonstrates the many faces and voices of music therapy worldwide. It offers detailed information about clinical practice, training and education, research and publications within the WFMT eight regions (Kern, et al., 2010). For your information, the eight regional liaisons have been included in the WFMT Council in 2008, modeled after the structure of the World Health Organization (WHO). The video podcasts and Fact Pages produced by each Regional Liaison support the content of this paper.

In July 2010, WFMT released a film about music therapy and the current work of the World Federation of Music Therapy. I invite you to review it to learn more about the current work of WFMT and how you might get involved. You also might want to listen to the latest WFMT Commissioners’ Podcast, which features the ongoing projects of each commission as well as a vision for the future.

Finally, I also would like to announce WFMT’s 13th World Congress of Music Therapy entitled “Music Therapy in Eastern and Western Philosophy,” which will be held in Seoul, Korea in 2011. For more information on the Spotlight Speakers, Cultural Program or registration, please visit the official world congress website at www.musictherapy2011.org. Holding a World Congress of Music Therapy is one of the longstanding roles of WFMT. Voices has published a series of interviews on previous World Congresses, which archives these worldwide events.

In closure, I would like to share that I continue to fall in love with this outstanding crowd of people who are united in the mysteries of music revealed to us from our patients. There are still “many voices but one song” that we hear in music therapy worldwide. Many colleagues describe and research what they do, how they understand what happens in music therapy, and how we may need to disseminate this to the world. I am sure that music therapy and its benefits will attract new generations of professionals that will carry on the vision of WFMT.

References

Kern, P. (2010). Historical Aspects of WFMT. Three Core Questions for Seven Presidents. Retrieved from http://www.wfmt.info/WFMT/25._Anniversary_Events.html

Kern, P., Gilbertson, S., Behrens, G. A., Tait, A., Fouche, S., Tennant, M., Loureiro, C., Gao, T., & Sundar, S. (2010). Music Therapy Worldwide: Exploring Trends and Challenges in Research, Practice, and Education. Retrieved from http://www.wfmt.info/WFMT/25._Anniversary_Events.html

How to cite this page

Fachner, Jörg 25th Anniversary of the World Federation of Music Therapy: Looking Forward . Voices Resources. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from http://testvoices.uib.no/community/?q=country-of-the-month/2010-25th-anniversary-world-federation-music-therapy-looking-forward