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Time is flying, the winter is over, and the region is blossoming with flowers, herbs, and young dates on the palm trees. As always, music therapists in the region connect by emails and Skype, to network and support each other. There still is a lot of misconception about music therapy, and local media often calls services provided by performing musicians and special need teachers a “music therapy.”Music therapy news from Iran1) During January-August 2015, 14 articles were published by Iranian authors in music therapy with four of them being indexed in PubMed. Six Ph.D. and MSc theses in psychology and occupational therapy degrees were completed with music therapy subjects. A Persian language book entitled An Introduction to Music Therapy, by Hatef Doostdar, was published in August 2015.2) MAMPHA (Music Application in Mental & Physical Health Association), which is an old Iranian association in music therapy since 2001, restarted its work after five years of inactivity with a board meeting about the re-engineering of MAMPHA with a new mission, vision, and goals. MAMPHA held four national music therapy conferences between 2002 and 2006. We, as new board members of MAMPHA, will have some news from MAMPHA after its October board meeting.3) After a long negotiation with the Ministry of Education in Iran, we established a working group on music therapy in division of "children with special needs" of this ministry in early 2014. Our five year goal is the implementation of music therapy in all learning disability centers and autism centers around the country. Now, during the previous 18 months, we have started the pilot phase in 12 provinces of Iran in more than 27 learning disabilities centers and 25 autism centers around Iran. To date, more than 220 teachers of these centers completed some courses in music therapy to be able to implement music therapy in their centers under supervision of our team with well-defined protocols (written by Dr. H. Zamanian).News from the UAEIn February 2016, there was the 1st UAE International Arts Therapy Conference under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah. It was hosted and organised by the MSA - College of Medicine, University of Sharjah in collaboration with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services; Art Therapy International Centre (ATIC); George Washington University, USA; and the Prasad Foundation, USA. The conference took place at Sharjah University, College of Medicine with presentations and workshops by Art Therapists, Drama Therapists, and Music Therapists from the UK, USA, South Korea, Bahrain, and the UAE. This was a CME accredited event and was attended by professionals and students. Art Therapy International Centre (ATIC) was privileged to be asked to help organise the event as part of the organising committee (written by Andrew C. Wright, Clinical Director, Art Therapy International Centre (ATIC).The Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) provided support for weeklong music workshops in Al Ain for children with special needs. These workshops, organised by the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care, Special Needs and Minors’ Affairs, were led by four musicians from Live Music Now, a UK-based organization, and provided opportunities for music composition and enrichment of creative and performing skills. More information can be found in a March 14, 2016 online article on UAE Today’s website.News from BahrainAksana Kavaliova-Moussi was interviewed by the Weekender Bahrain in December 2015. It was the first ever writing on music therapy being published in the country! There was a short presentation on music therapy held in October, for the Rotary Club of Sulmaniya-Bahrain, attended by some prominent members. Another “first” will be Aksana’s presentation at the International conference “Untangle Autism” in April. This conference is for the professionals, parents, and caregivers working with people on the Autism Spectrum.February had another great Online Conference for Music Therapy, where A. Kavaliova-Moussi was a Co-Director. This year, the WFMT team had its first presentation, outlining 30 years of the Federation.News from TunisiaThe Association Nationale de Musicothérapie (Tunisie) [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][ANMT] is very active in creating awareness and hosting scientific meetings for some time now. In 2015, they organized a music therapy training (1st level and 2nd level), presented by professional music therapists from Nantes , with Tunisian students in musicology and health professionals. In December, ANMT prepared, in collaboration with the Higher Institute of music in Tunis, a seminar on music therapy (Les journées scientifiques Maghreb- Méditerranée de musicothérapie), with some invited specialist from Paris, Nantes. The Association is led by Dr. Ryhab Jebali.News from JordanThe National Music Conservatory in Amman has a 4-year Bachelor’s degree program. They are looking for a qualified music therapist with a Master’s degree to join their team. For more information, please contact Rana Rizkallah at adminmanager-nmc@orange.jo.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
