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“Where am I?” was my first impression upon wandering through the highly-advanced and futuristic airport in South Korea in early July. I continued wondering the same thing as I made my way to a hostel via Korea’s subway system, the third largest in the world, and watched as business casual clad Seoulites tapped away at giant computer screen monitors available in all underground stations to check routes and zoom in on street view images of their destinations.I continued asking myself the same question throughout the World Congress where I got to meet music therapists from all over the world, including countries such as Scotland, Qatar, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and of course, Korea, to name just a few. The paper presentations, workshops and spotlight sessions were equally varied: I experienced a workshop comparing Indian ragas and American blues, a symposium on music therapy and global crisis intervention, a paper presentation using music therapy to facilitate motivation and change in addictions, and a spotlight session featuring the most respected researchers on music therapy and medicine in the world…and that was day one.Receiving one of the student scholarships and attending this conference were immeasurably valuable for me. While the data, statistics and facts I learned from presentations were interesting, it was the mere exposure to the inexhaustible breadth of music therapy practices and research around the world that was incredibly stimulating and inspiring as a student. And beyond this, making personal connections with those who are the agents of this global growth of music therapy was truly unforgettable and impacting.Julie Lytle, Capilano Univeristy,
