British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT)

16/08/2026

Just a couple of weeks to go! Join us for our popular Introduction to Music Therapy workshop, the ideal foundation if you are curious about Music Therapy as a career. Delivered by a HCPC-registered Music Therapist, this interactive workshop is designed to provide an overview of the principles and practices of Music Therapy within the UK, and to answer any questions you may have about the training routes available.

Already a Music Therapist? This is a great workshop to recommend to friends, family or contacts who have expressed interest in joining the profession or learning more about how Music Therapy works.

Find out more and book your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-music-therapy-tickets-1994543754060?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&_gl=1*1yyi722*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTA4MDIyNzI3My4xNzg2NjE5NjYy*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODY2MTk2NjEkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODY2MTk2NjEkajYwJGwwJGgw

04/08/2026

What does the future hold for Music Therapy and how do we navigate it? Introducing our panel keynote for the conference (21-22 Nov 2026)

Navigating the Music Therapy Landscape: Considering the challenges and opportunities facing the profession in the UK

Panel: Rebecca Ellis (Jessie's Fund), Sarah Hodkinson (Shooting Star Children's Hospice), Crystal Luk-Worrall (Clap and Toot), Laura Shuttleworth (Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust), & Ray Travasso (Suffolk Music Therapy Services)

Abstract: This roundtable keynote brings together practitioners, employers and funders to reflect, contemplate and discuss the current landscape of Music Therapy throughout the UK. In recent years, the profession has had to respond to ongoing difficulties to funding, access to services and sustainable working with increasingly creative resolutions. While the need for Music Therapy services continues to grow, ensuring equitable access for Service Users and managing capacity of Therapists continues to be a balancing act across sectors.

This panel will share their views on the challenges, but also the opportunities for the profession such as reflections on funding, health economics, impact measurement, embracing new ways of working, ensuring quality of practice and staying connected to the bigger picture.

Early bird rates for the conference have been extended to 12pm on Monday 7 September 2026. Register now: https://bamtconference.co.uk/

30/07/2026

We're pleased to announce new dates for our popular safeguarding training, delivered by Penny Rogers, Former Deputy Director, Safeguarding and Public Protection, Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Director of Chart, Safeguarding Law & Training Ltd with over 30 years experience in senior leadership roles in safeguarding in the public sector.

Training is open to all Health, Social Care or Education practitioners though elements will be tailored to the needs of Music Therapists, and Music Therapy case studies will be featured: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-association-for-music-therapy-29946384519

27/07/2026

Curious about Music Therapy as a career?

Join us for our popular Introduction to Music Therapy workshop, offering an accessible overview of the core principles and practice of Music Therapy in the UK: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-music-therapy-tickets-1994543754060?

Led by an HCPC registered Music Therapist, the workshop explores the foundations of the profession, including its history, the ways it can support people across the lifespan, and the range of approaches and techniques used in clinical practice.

You'll also gain an introduction to the training pathway and the steps involved in becoming a Music Therapist, providing a strong starting point for anyone considering further study or a career in the profession.

24/07/2026

We are pleased to announce a free roundtable event for BAMT members, seeking to explore the ongoing position of class within the profession of Music Therapy in the UK.

If you're a member, the sign-up link is in your weekly bulletin email, which should have landed in your inbox yesterday. We hope you can join us for this crucial discussion.

Panel: Joy Gravestock (Chair), Naviella Dowds (Lyrical Minds), Elliot Stone (Trainee), Jessica Tiso (Freelance Music Therapist) & Sarah Wootton (Trainee)

Sharing lived experiences and considerations for implications within clinical practice, this important event highlights the continuing perception of elitism both within the spheres of Music Therapy and broader Music Education. It offers reflections on the challenges for those from differing socio-economic backgrounds in accessing the profession - either as a Therapist trying to build a sustainable practice or as Service Users.

This event offers a unique opportunity to hear the impact of Class from those within the first five years of practice, and provides space to collectively reflect on how the profession can increase support around accessibility going forward.

20/07/2026

Curious about Music Therapy?

Join us for our popular Introduction to Music Therapy, designed to provide an overview of the fundamental principles and practices of Music Therapy in the UK: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-music-therapy-tickets-1994543754060?

Led by a HCPC registered Music Therapist, this workshop will cover the basics of Music Therapy, including its history, how it provides benefits across the lifespan, and the different approaches and techniques used in therapy sessions.

The day will also offer ideas for next steps in becoming a Music Therapist - a solid foundation for further exploration, training and study.

16/07/2026

What can Music Therapy offer when facing death, loss and grief? https://talkingaboutbereavement.podbean.com/e/what-can-music-therapy-offer-when-facing-death-loss-and-grief/

In this episode of the Talking about Bereavement podcast, Dr Clare Tucker talks to Giorgos Tsiris and Dr Lisa Graham Wisner about what Music Therapy is, what happens in a session and the role that Music Therapy can play in bereavement and palliative care.

You can catch Giorgos Tsiris as a Keynote speaker for our online Music Therapy conference this November. Find out more here: https://bamtconference.co.uk/

In this episode, Dr Clare Tucker talks to Giorgos Tsiris, Music Therapy Professor, Queen Margaret University / Director of Education, Research and Creative Arts at St Columba’s Hospice Care, Edinburgh, Dr Tracey McConnell, Lecturer in chronic illness and palliative care / Honorary Marie Curie Rese...

10/07/2026

Discover the programme for BAMT 2026! We are pleased to reveal the programme for our online conference, happening 21-22 November 2026.

The ethos of this conference is to acknowledge, listen, connect and explore the challenges and opportunities for Music Therapy in an ever-changing landscape. We take time to come together as a community with professional integrity in open dialogue to share ideas, experiences and inspiration, sharing how Music Therapists’ practice is evolving across sectors.

Read the full programme here! https://www.bamtconference.co.uk/

Early bird pricing is available until 12 noon (BST) on 7 August 2026.

Lead presenters must book before the early bird deadline.

07/07/2026

A long but very important post: If you're an AHP, please take a moment to read!

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Allied Health Professions has launched a Call for Evidence to inform its Inquiry into the role of AHPs in delivering and enabling neighbourhood health.

The APPG is a cross-party group working to raise the profile, visibility and impact of AHPs in Parliament and across the health and care system. Neighbourhood health is central to the 10 Year Health Plan, with a focus on improving population health, tackling health inequalities and shifting care closer to home.

AHPs play a vital role across diagnosis, prevention, early intervention, treatment and rehabilitation supporting people to live as independently as possible in their communities. However, there remains significant variation in how neighbourhood health services are designed, delivered and integrated across the country, reducing the potential impact of AHPs.

The Inquiry will examine how AHPs contribute to neighbourhood health, and how policy, commissioning, workforce and service design can better support neighbourhood-based models of care.

The Inquiry is particularly interested in evidence, case studies and examples of good practice relating to AHP leadership, funding and commissioning, health inequalities, workforce challenges and opportunities, and the role of AHPs in multidisciplinary neighbourhood health models.

Submissions are welcomed from organisations and individuals, including professional bodies, AHP clinicians, support workers, students, commissioners, local authorities, VCSE organisations, academic and research institutions, service user groups, and people with lived experience.

Submissions should be concise, no longer than 3,000 words, and sent as a single Word document. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Tues 1 Sept.

Submissions and any queries should be sent to [email protected]