Music therapy is practiced worldwide, with each country bringing its own musical heritage and traditions to the profession.

Early Beginnings: From War to Healing

Music was noticed to have an effect on the mood of veterans in the First World War, and this led to music being introduced in hospitals treating shell shock, marking the earliest recognition of music's therapeutic potential in British healthcare.

Professional Organisation Takes Shape

Music therapy as a profession in the UK first became organised in 1958, when Juliette Alvin established the Society for Music Therapy and Remedial Music, a few years after a similar organisation was formed in the USA. In 1967 this organisation was renamed the British Society for Music Therapy, with the aim of sharing information about music therapy with anyone with an interest in the subject.

In 1976 a second organisation formed — the Association of Professional Music Therapists (APMT) — founded specifically to support trainee and qualified music therapists. The APMT worked towards achieving state registration, finally succeeding in 1999 with what is now the Health and Care Professions Council. The two organisations merged in 2011 to create the British Association for Music Therapy.

Training and Education

The first UK training in music therapy was launched by Juliette Alvin at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1968 — a programme which is still running to this day. In 1974,

Nordoff-Robbins established a music therapy training centre, developing an approach that particularly highlighted music's potential to support children with special educational needs. Nordoff-Robbins now operates as the largest music therapy charity in the UK.

There are now nine training courses offered across the UK, all providing the Masters-level qualification required to practise and register with the HCPC. Students are trained to use music to respond therapeutically to the communication of a client or clients, with courses also covering psychotherapeutic theory and child development.

To understand more about what music therapy looks like in practice, read about how Sarah and Vicky use their training in their work with Place2Be →

Music Therapy Today

Since these first developments, music therapy has grown and diversified considerably, now including specialist areas such as neurologic music therapy, community music therapy, vocal psychotherapy, and guided imagery and music.

Sessions take place not just in hospitals, but in schools, community centres, people's homes, prisons, rehabilitation centres, and workplaces. Therapists work one-to-one with clients, but also run groups and collaborate with other professions including speech and language therapy and other arts therapies such as art and dance.

New research is published regularly, and conferences are held worldwide to bring therapists together to connect, learn, and continue to develop the profession.

For a closer look at one young person's experience, read One Boy's Journey with Music Therapy →

Explore This Section

This page is one of a series developed with Sarah and Vicky. If you've found it useful, you might want to explore:

• What is Music Therapy? — an introduction to how music therapy works in practice

• Music Therapy in Action — how Sarah and Vicky use their training in their work with Place2Be

• One Boy's Journey with Music Therapy — a case study following 'Luke' and the role music therapy played in his life

• Videos about Music Therapy — a curated collection of films exploring the field

You might also be interested in the wider evidence: Singing & Health — the evidence →

For information about international music therapy practice, visit the World Federation of Music Therapy.

Image at the top of the page: Soldiers recuperating at the 8th Convalescent Hospital, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK, 1943. Photograph: Imperial War Museum (D 16589). Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.