.jpg)
The first wafts of foreign accents punctuated with peals of excited laughter and squeals of collegial greeting infused the air with expectancy; it was time for the Opening Ceremony of the 14th World Congress of Music Therapy. A whirl of flags amidst pulsing beats that echoed and set hearts racing, and the colorful parade kicked off the triennial event at the Plenary Hall of IMC Krems. There was a crescendo of cheers as each representative cat-walked their national costume and flag down the middle aisle. The excitement was palpable as melodic strains from more than forty different countries rang across the room and down the hallways. Congratulations to Dr. Tucek and team for a memorable 26 hours of learning and sharing, and meeting old and new friends from all over the globe! This unique music therapy conference, held every three years, is the only international and global event that brings together more than a thousand music therapists and enthusiasts from all the major continents as well as smaller nations.After much emailing and skyping back and forth over the past term, I was happy to meet with many members of the WFMT Council and other representatives face-to-face. These dedicated individuals volunteered tremendous time and effort to accomplish important objectives. Particularly, Ms. Maïté Barbé stood out for her contribution in steering the Strategic Planning workgroup first to understand music therapy as an industry and then mapping out a course for ongoing work and foci for the organization. Ms. Barbé is to be admired because she applied her Marketing skill-set from outside of the industry to help the Organization better understand WFMT's strengths and to establish a role for navigating the road ahead. Under her leadership, the Strategic Planning workgroup undertook an ambitious task of surveying the music therapy global scene. The subsequent report and analysis, while not comprehensive, does provide a map for the Organization, under new terms of leadership, to steer its ongoing course. It is this contribution, along with some other recent conversations, that have inspired me to take on another term as a WFMT Regional Liaison. One of the key areas highlighted was for increased collaboration and communication amongst the different Commissions and the role for Regional Liaisons to bridge and nurture this pathway. This challenge excites me.Aboard the bus from Vienna to Krems after the Pre-Congress Seminars, I happened to sit at the back with a family from Iran. Mr. D had worked earnestly for 22 years, before gaining the recognition of the authorities for his contributions to children with special needs. His story spoke to me on several levels. First, that music therapists are poised to fill a unique niche and that consistent service to others was part of the dance with time; only music therapists are able to address needs through a unique music modality. In the hands of the skilled, lives are changed for the better. Second, Mr. D's story is that of determination and persevering against the tide, until the latter changed course. With the support of his wife and daughter, he was able to bring music to his clients with little to no external support – until recently! With governmental recognition of his work, now all his professional requests are approved, including presenting his work in Krems. For many music therapists working to advocate care through music in the face of ignorance or misrepresentation, Mr. D's story of perseverance and determination to make a difference for his clients inspires confidence and courage. Such conversations, along with the gems from the meaty Spotlight Sessions, have been running through my mind after the last Award was handed out, and the quick raps from the Closing drum circle had sharply rung and faded away.As a student training overseas, and later as a professional working abroad and in Singapore, I often reflected on the impact and relevance of culture on the music of my clients and how it shades what I bring into the musical relationships. Along with my professional colleagues, in our daily work we also had to reconcile the views and expectations that various segments of society might hold about music therapy with its adaptations of techniques, approaches, and philosophies. In comparison to our western counterparts, the Asia Pacific region is not lacking in the music, music medicine, and music therapy heritage or traditions. There is uneven access to this base of scientific, cultural, and clinical knowledge, however. This gap can be bridged by making more of the wealth of knowledge accessible to the English speaking community.The Western Pacific region comprises countries with long traditions of music and healing, others with several well-established educational and clinical training facilities, and a base of research from a foundation of more than 2,000 to 5,000 members. Within others, the profession is newly emerging with small-scale research projects. The Asia Pacific region needs to pull together to make research and developments more accessible to the rest of the world. Instead of relying on western-oriented theories and approaches, this region has its own base of expertise and evidence that will enrich the field. Indeed, there certainly wasn't a lack of quality presentations, both oral and poster, during the Congress in Krems. How exciting might it be to see more translations of key research, cultural reflections, or theoretical papers from this region, to balance the other international perspectives from publications that are already circulating.Let's brainstorm ways to leverage on Japan's successful bid to host the 15th WCMT in Tsukuba City in 2017 and build momentum towards the second congress in Asia within six years!Melanie KwanWestern Pacific Regional Liaison
