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Hi there, my name is Linda, I’m a music therapist from Europe. I graduated in 2018 with my bachelor’s degree in Heidelberg, Germany. During a student conference for music therapy students and recent graduates in 2019 I learned about the CMTS – a group of students from Vienna, Austria, who had started the ConnAction of Music Therapy Students to connect students and recent graduates from all over Europe. My fascination for their activities inspired me to become an active member of the organizational committee.
The CMTS’s main projects are the organization of student conferences and participation in regional and international events for music therapists. The goal is to build a network for music therapy students and recent graduates. We would like to build a platform providing relevant information on music therapy training, interesting literature and possibilities for student exchange.
Due to the current situation, participating in the CMTS looked different than I had expected. Our focus is now on the rearrangement of our organizational structures, strengthening our online presence (Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CMTS-ConnAction-of-Music-Therapy-Students-167369184193244; Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cmts_connaction /), and creating new formats to ensure online representation of European music therapy students!
“Virtual ConnAction” is the title for the various possibilities to create and share resources online. A video that connected music therapy students worldwide is the “CMTS Club Song” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53760DLvc_8 ).
Participation in the WMTF World Congress took place online, but we still managed to hand in a Poster Presentation as well as an article about CMTS which can be found in Music Therapy Today’s Special Issue on the WCMT Proceedings.
We started a monthly online meeting for students working on their theses that offers the chance to discuss their research projects with students from other universities.
At the moment, we are planning to connect recent graduates to address issues that people are facing when they leave university and enter their career.
As a pilot project, Regional Meetings at the training program in Heidelberg, Germany were instated. In the future we would like to inspire students in various nations and universities to connect more closely within their educational institution – ConnAction starts with you and me!
So what did I learn during this season of participation in the CMTS? I love to stay connected with music therapy students! In my point of view, it is very important not to lose contact with the educational institutions as a working music therapist as the students will be the music therapy generation of tomorrow and will define our job profile! Working with the CMTS expands my vision and my possibilities to connect with other (soon to be) music therapists, it motivates me to engage in professional associations, and simply is a lot of fun!!!
If you have any questions, interest in participating or innovative thoughts on diversity for music therapy students, feel free to contact us via cmts.connaction@gmail.com!
Linda Ibanez
Music therapist, ConnAction of Music Therapy Students, Germany
