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Dear Colleagues,When was the last time you visited somewhere you have never been before? Maybe a different country, a new town, a different part of town, or part of yourself you discovered? Doing something new feels very unfamiliar and can make you feel a little uneasy as a result. Or… maybe you approach this new experience with anticipatory excitement. Maybe there’s even a combination of these feelings as you approach the new experience.Each and every day, we, as music therapists all around the world, are helping our clients explore and discover things they have never done before. We journey with them in and through the music to develop new skills, to explore and express new or different emotions, and to discover and reach their fullest potential. I truly enjoy the honor and privilege of being the guide and fellow traveler with my clients. It is a blessing to be a part this rich and beautiful process.We are fortunate as colleagues to have opportunities to journey with each other as well. I think of each andevery World Congress in this same way. I have an opportunity to travel to a new and different place. I will revel in the opportunity to learn a great deal from the music therapy clinicians, researchers, and educators gathered together during this event. I will collect new and different information that I will pack with me for my journey home. I will enjoy discussing, experiencing, and being in the music throughout this event. I will enjoy seeingmany wonderful and familiar faces of colleagues and friends from all over the world. I will meet many new colleagues and have the opportunity to develop new friendships. Then, I will pack my bags to return home filled with new information, insights, ideas, and memories. Then when I have arrived home, I will use this newfound information and wisdom to help advance my own clinical practice, research, and teaching. As we all carry this home with us, we help advance our profession of music therapy globally.I hope you will make plans to join this gathering in Vienna/Krems, Austria. I would love to see you and greet you there. I look forward to all of us sharing information from our own parts of the world. My flight is booked… is yours?Sincerely,Annie Heiderscheit, Ph.D., MT-BC, LMFTFellow of the Association for Music and ImageryInterim President, WFMTP. S. To all our WFMT members, be sure to take time to complete the external stakeholders survey. We look forward to your input and feedback as the WFMT Council moves forward in completing our strategic plan.
