February Update from Australia and New Zealand

I am pleased to share the following update from the Australia/New Zealand region.

The Australasian area has hosted several significant events over recent months. Specifically:

• The very successful AMTA National Conference was held on 29 Nov - 1 Dec 2019, in Melbourne VIC. In addition to two full days of conference presentations, events included a preconference ‘Drum Power’ workshop with Andreas Wölf, Germany, focusing on improvisation exercises and music therapeutic role play on the topics of conflict and violence; the ‘Music, Adolescents and Trauma’ Symposium, in partnership with Professor Katrina McFerran and the University of Melbourne; and a day of Professional Development activities. Events were held in the brand new Ian Potter Southbank Centre, the new home of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne – an amazing venue!

• Dr Philippa Derrington from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland, was one of the keynote speakers at the AMTA conference alongside local keynote, Helen Cameron RMT. Following the AMTA conference Dr Derrington ‘crossed the ditch’ to New Zealand where on 14th December she facilitated ‘Space to Play’ with Nicky Haire, also from Edinburgh. ‘Space to Play’ was hosted by Victoria University of Wellington, and involved a day of presentations and workshops beginning with Philippa sharing her work with adolescents with complex emotional needs in a secondary school context; and Nicky revealing aspects of her PhD study investigating humour in music therapy with people who have dementia.

• A professional one-day seminar for RMTs focusing on families with special needs children was held in Melbourne in January 2020. The event was guided by leading International researchers and clinicians in the field including Stine Lindahl Jacobsen (Denmark), Grace Thompson (Australia), and Tali Gottfried (Israel).

• Also in January, 14 international experts in music therapy from Aalborg University (Denmark), Bergen University (Norway), Norwegian Academy of Music (Norway), University of Jyväskylä (Finland) , Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge, UK), Temple University (USA) and LUCA School of Arts, LUCA (Leuven, Belgium), came together for the symposium ‘Innovation and Knowledge Translation in Music Therapy: Global Perspectives’. Together they presented the latest music therapy research innovation and knowledge translation initiatives.

• Professor Wendy Magee (Temple University) facilitated MATADOC Training on 5-7 February 2020, in Melbourne. The MATADOC is a standardised tool for assessing arousal and awareness in adults presenting with a disorder of consciousness.

• In New Zealand on 8 & 9 February 2020, Professor Cheryl Dileo from the USA presented a training workshop (theory and practical) on the topic of entrainment - a specialised, music centred, evidence-based pain management technique, which she has developed over her years of work.

• And for the future: AMTA are welcoming applications for Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) Training in Brisbane, Fri 16 - Sun 19 April; and advanced training 20-21 April 2020.

In other news:

• MThNZ welcomed Lara Burke to her new position as Executive Officer of Music Therapy New Zealand on Monday 25 November, and thanked outgoing EO, Lisa Stanley, for her helpful service.

• Following AMTA’s original submission on 5 April 2019 to the Mental Health Productivity Commission, Bridgit Hogan (Executive Officer) and Dr Jen Bibb (AMTA Mental Health Advisor) presented at a Public Hearing on 19 November 2019, advocating for the expansion of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebated psychological therapies to include music therapy.

• AMTA offered a submission (January 2020) to the Aged Care Royal Commission supporting the principles of the proposed redesign of aged care services, whilst providing feedback on its execution and implementation. AMTA took this opportunity to again call for the specific inclusion of music therapy into aged care services programs.

• AMTA also provided feedback in response to questions raised in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Issues Paper, specifically relating to increasing flexibility and reducing administration, capacity building, cancellation rules, provider travel needs, and negative financial impact of unscheduled or early plan reviews. NDIS has also released an Issues Paper around the Annual Price Review for 2020-2021 and AMTA have been liaising closely with industry stakeholders throughout this consultation process in order to provide a response.

• Dr Carolyn Shaw of New Zealand has been nominated to the WFMT expert panel to provide feedback on the draft of the map of the music therapy 'models'.

• The Music Therapy New Zealand (MThNZ) Aotearoa Crisis Intervention MThNZ Special Interest Group is becoming increasingly established and prepared to respond to events such as the recent White Island volcanic eruption in New Zealand, and the bush fires in Australia. Devin Brooks (RMTh) will be representing MThNZ Aotearoa Crisis Intervention Group at the Global Crisis Intervention round table discussion at the WFMT Conference in Pretoria 2020.

• MThNZ and the Music Therapy Registration Board, with the support of Victoria University of Wellington, are continuing work on revisions of Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.

Music therapists from both Australia and New Zealand are looking forward to meeting and learning with colleagues at the 2020 World Congress of Music Therapy in Pretoria!