Celebrating 15 years of Music Therapy in South Africa – August 2014The 15th anniversary celebration of Music Therapy at UP included a wide variety of experiences for participants. Music therapy interventions with a broad range of client groups were presented by local music therapists. Sherri Symons had a group of her student clients perform. Sunelle Fouché presented the transformative work that is being done by MusicWorks, a nonprofit organization that uses music to unlock the potential of children and communities in Cape Town’s marginalized neighbourhoods. Music therapist Tanya Brown discussed the role that music therapy played in journeying with individuals with aphasia in a conversation group. Marie-Victoire Cumming presented her work at Little Eden, a residential home for people with mental and physical disabilities. She explained the key communicative role that music therapy can play in building relationships with clients with disabilities.Mercedes Pavlicevic and Kobie Swart, who developed and initiated the Music Therapy training program at UP in 1999, both presented. Mercedes spoke on international perspectives on music therapy, and Kobie described her work within a specialized form of music psychotherapy, namely guided imagery and music.Saturday’s festivities were punctuated by performances by the Pretoria Technical High School’s African percussion ensemble, led by Julius Kyakuwa, and by Freeborn, an exceptional jazz band consisting of children between eight and eleven years. Karen de Kock, a music therapist who graduated from UP, led the audience in a playful vocal activity.This event provided an opportunity for music therapists in South Africa to get together and share their work with others. The audience was both moved and inspired.Music Works Cape TownThe Music Therapy Community Clinic has re-established itself under the name Music Works. This music therapy non-governmental organization continues to offer valuable psychosocial interventions on the Cape Flats, Cape Town. A new school in Heideveld has opened brand new facilities to address the needs of learners who come from traumatised and deprived situations. Music Works offers Music For Life and Music Therapy programs at the school.Mental Health AwarenessMental Health Awareness has been featured prominently for Music Therapy in October. Carol Lotter presented on “Music Therapy and Schizophrenia” at Tara Psychiatric Hospital in Johannesburg. Sunelle Fouche, Helene Best and Mari Stevens, in collaboration with psychiatrist, Dr. Marc Roffey, presented at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town. Karen de Kock and Kobie Swart present at Vista Psychiatric Clinic.Foreign Music Therapy StudentsSouth Africa is currently privileged to host five foreign music therapy students completing part of their clinical internship in various settings in Pretoria and Port Elizabeth. We have one Danish student, two Israeli students and two students from the Netherlands.GIMGIM training is being offered to qualified music therapists and other qualified therapists in South Africa. It is envisaged to further develop this area of music therapyMs. Carol Lotter, South AfricaWFMT Regional Liaison, Africa
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