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In this month’s blog I want to highlight the World Congress of Music Therapy (WCMT) and send out the last call for our anniversary year celebrations.WCMT 2017As 2015 is drawing to a close, it is time to start planning for 2016 and, YES, 2017! That being said, I want to bring your attention to the 15th WCMT, taking place in Tsukuba, Japan, July 4-8, 2017 so you can mark this event in your calendar. This important Congress is being organized collaboratively by the WFMT and the Japanese Music Therapy Association (JMTA) and is being led by WFMT Commissioner, Michiko Kato, in her role as the Congress Organizer. She is heading a dynamic team that is planning for over 2500 attendees. Can you imagine how amazing it will be to be in a venue with that many music therapists, students, educators, researchers and healthcare professionals all striving to grow the global awareness of music therapy as an art and a science? I know from past WCMTs that I have attended, that it is an unbelievable feeling to be among so many like-minded persons to celebrate, learn, and plan for the future of our discipline; and I have left feeling energized, enthusiastic and more knowledgeable about this wonderful tool we use: MUSIC. This upcoming Congress will be the largest one that I will have the honour of attending. The preliminary website is up and running, and I encourage you to look at the introductory information about this significant Congress.The Congress theme is “Moving Forward with Music Therapy-Inspiring the Next Generation”. Keep your eyes peeled for the Call for Papers annoucement in early January 2016. Why not start thinking about a potential submission based on this exciting theme? There will be opportunties for proposals in several categories including: oral concurrent papers, workshops, round tables and posters. In the works are also pre-congress workshops, student events, cutural experiences, and optional tours. To learn more about the history of the WFMT World Congresses, visit the archive on our World Congress page.WFMT 30th Anniversary Celebration ContinuesLAST CALL: As 2014 and our 30th Anniversary year are winding down, it is your last chance to participate in our celebrations! We need your contributions to end off the year with a BANG! Please consider submitting a #WFMT30Rocks Birthday Song Challenge as well as a tribute in the #WFMT30Rocks Contribution & Treasured Memories projects. The deadline for the Contribution&Treasured Memories projects has been extended to December 31, 2015, and you and/or your group can send us a Happy Birthday song right up until December 31st. Information on these projects can be found by clicking on the hyperlinked project names above.Warm Regards from CanadaAmy Clements-Cortes, PhD, RP, MT-BC, MTAFellow of the Association for Music and ImageryPresident, WFMT
