Music As Therapy International - Community

Music as Therapy International trains caregivers around the world, providing them with the skills, resources and confidence to use core music therapy techniques to change the way they care for marginalised, vulnerable people.  Their ‘hub and spoke’ approach prioritises supporting regional practitioners, many of whom go on to share their skills with increasing numbers of local caregivers in countries including Romania, Rwanda and Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Since the charity was established over 20 years ago, its focus on sharing the power of music has been proven to overcome boundaries of language, literacy and disability to improve communication and strengthen wider care practice. The BBT Communities grant will allow Music as Therapy International to continue championing locally-led initiatives and set up new sustainable programmes in these deserving communities.

IMPACT

At the recent meeting of the Trustees of Music as Therapy International, we reflected on the phenomenal support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. Their generous support will enable us to continue in the development of locally-led initiatives with total confidence and plan ahead in a way and scale that is unprecedented for us. Moreover, the grant we received will have an immeasurable impact on the lives of vulnerable children and adults in Romania, Rwanda and the Occupied Palestinian Territories; the benefits of which will continue to be felt for years to come.

John Ellis Trustee

We had people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Romania in the middle of our Distance Learning Programme when COVID-19 hit. Although the pandemic unfolded differently in each country, it made it difficult and then impossible for them to continue running their music sessions. Having the support of the Borletti-Butoni Trust and knowing they were sympathetic to our circumstances meant I could give the participating practitioners the time they needed to weather school closures and other local restrictions and stress. Without this, I don’t think I would have been able to tailor my support in the ways that I did and shepherd the participants to the end of the course. I’m so proud of their tenacity and success!

Magda Pata Distance Learning Programme Officer

As a graduate of the course, I can speak first hand of how the Distance Learning Programme is a vital source of training and information for caregivers working with children with disabilities. The course materials summarised the essence of music therapy, making it accessible for caregivers from different backgrounds. By funding this activity, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust has enabled many more children with disabilities in Romania to benefit from the inclusion of music into their care.

Larisa Neculai Distance Learning Programme graduate (Romania)

Without the help of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust, organizing the training would be difficult because of the many poor centers and finding local sponsors would be difficult because we are not known. Thank you so much for your support.

Audace Musoni Local Partner & Trainer (Rwanda)

Read Music Therapy International’s Richard James’ BBT Blog, Adapting to ‘the New Normal’

The support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust gave us financial security for our International Programme when Covid sent it flying. But it wasn’t just knowing we had sufficient funds in hand to be able to make the adaptations we needed to in order to continue developing the use of music for vulnerable people worldwide. It was knowing they were interested to understand how we were being affected, that they took up our offer of a meeting to hear what the pandemic had meant for us and that they trusted how we were adapting our activities to pursue the same outcomes, albeit in different ways.