Comments by Dr. Rolando Benenzon, First President of the WFMT

By Rolando Benenzon & Gabriela Wagner

This is a compilation of comments made by Dr. Rolando Benenzon, first President of the WFMT, and information provided by Gabriela Wagner. Dr. Benenzon was not available for an interview when the information on the 1985 Genoa Congress was being prepared. Dr. Benenzon’s answers to questions about his role as the first President of the WFMT can also be found on the WFMT website.

Comments by Dr. Rolando Benenzon

Because of internal divisions and ideological differences between Edith Lecourt and Jacques Jost, Paris ended up with two 4th World Congress[es] of Music Therapy. Unfortunately, the audience of both events had the feeling of being forced to make a choice among two theoretical and practical points of view in music therapy. I decided to participate in the conference chaired by Edith Lecourt. During this event I proposed the organization of an international committee with representatives from England, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan and USA, to study the possibilities and convenience of World Federation of Music Therapy. The members of this committee did the groundwork and the first constitution outlines to be discussed during the upcoming 5th World Congress of Music Therapy held in Genoa, Italy in 1985. In Genoa I was appointed to lead the creation of the WFMT during the 6th World Congress of Music Therapy. The guidelines for its constitution were based on this committee’s proposals.

Information provided by Gabriela Wagner

Rolando couldn’t attend both events. He had to make a choice and he did it according to his possibilities and his theoretical convictions. In spite of this, Benenzon and Jost worked together as a team, on the project of a World Federation of Music Therapy. Jost was Vice-president of the WFMT when its creation was officially announced in Genoa.

Music therapists from different countries were just beginning to know each other. Communication was based on letters and expensive phone calls. The exchange of information on music therapy developments around the world was much slower than today. The network among music therapy associations needed time to get stronger in order to support the organization of international music therapy conferences. In 1983, the option of organizing a World Congress of Music Therapy depended on the possibilities of the local associations of the hosting country. Both Jost and Lecourt made a great effort. Edith's later contributions to psychoanalysis and psychodynamic music therapy are well known.

Some of the future music therapy leaders who attended the 4th World Congress of Music Therapy, Paris, July 1983 were: Tony Wigram and Leslie Bunt (UK), Ruth Bright and Denise Grocke (Australia), Heirich Otto Moll (Germany), Barbara Hesser (USA), and of course Rolando Benenzon (Argentina). Thanks to them the international music therapy world made another important step in its development.