The 2017 WFMT congress in Tsukuba was truly an enriching experience from the perspective of a music therapy student, a new professional in the field, as well as a new researcher. I found it a privilege to connect for the first time with the world music therapy community, to meet and attend presentations with the MTs many of who’s work I have been reading about as well as citing in my own research. At the congress, I particularly appreciated the opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of music therapy modalities such as Regulative Music Therapy and its relation to Zen, the use of Guided Imagery with non-Western populations, as well as the clinical use of Indian classical music (Raga) in India. The opportunity to present my research on Participant’s Experiences of a Receptive Music Therapy Experience that Incorporates Raga for the first time allowed me to gain insights from my peers: they expressed the needs and interests of the world music therapy community with regards to my research topic and gave me ideas for future research. Finally, I cannot forget how nice it was to make new friends from around the world, to enjoy the musical performances and to discover new places around and outside the congress venue.
.jpg)
