MSc Music Therapy

Carole Clarke

Before I started studying at QMU, I was working in fundraising for a musical charity, but my working life had also encompassed care work as well as being a professional musician. When I began to investigate what music therapists do, I was delighted to find that there was indeed a job which seemed to demand my eclectic mix of skills! I talked to the Course Director initially, who was so helpful with suggestions for exploring it more.

I chose QMU because I live in Edinburgh and needed a place of study which was going to fit with my family life. Biting the bullet, I decided to do the Masters course full-time. Along with my supportive group of course peers, I found the Music Therapy staff hugely encouraging. The library was a dream, and I loved jumping back into academic life. The Course lecturers are practising music therapists themselves, and so there was a strong sense of 'real world' knowledge as well as guidance through assignments and research. Great role models!

What I loved about the course was that it taught such a blend of musical skills as well as clinical and therapeutic theory. The lecturers, visiting lecturers, and placement supervisors made it very much a two-way, interactive process.

It was a huge thrill when I was awarded the Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Scholarship to present my research paper at the 12th World Congress of Music Therapy in Argentina a great research experience!

I'm now a self-employed music therapist, based in Edinburgh, and I work in various clinical settings, both health and education-based. My clients range from pre-schoolers with special needs to adults who suffer from dementia. I love the job, it fits round my family, and I don't think the learning will ever stop my time at QMU was the starting point for joining a great community of Scottish arts therapists, and the beginning of a commitment to lifelong learning, which I hope to formalise in the future with possible further study.