Anglia Ruskin University

Music, Music Therapy and Mental Health

Date: Tuesday 12 March 2013
Time: 18.30
Venue: Nordoff Robbins London, 2 Lissenden Gardens, London NW5 1PQ. online map

Speaker: Professor Dr Denise Grocke


Since ancient times philosophers, authors, poets and play writers have espoused the qualities of music that enhance our life. In today's parlance we can speak of the power of music to maintain our mental wellbeing and mental health. With the advent of technologies, music is all around us and what used to be a social shared event is now often a private relationship between the mp3 player and the individual. This presentation will draw on current knowledge of music and it's effect on emotions, and mood, to relax and conversely stimulate.

The contribution that music therapy makes will focus on mental health in people who live with significant challenges to wellbeing, drawing on research into group songwriting for people with high impact mental illness. Resource-oriented approaches will demonstrate how resilience plays an important role for those living with mental illness. The need to adopt an eclectic attitude to music therapy will be demonstrated by reference to clinical improvisation, receptive music therapy and songwriting - all of which were embraced and researched by Professor Dr Tony Wigram.

Professor Dr Denise Grocke completed her music therapy qualifications at Michigan State University, USA and holds a Masters degree in Music Therapy and a PhD in Guided Imagery and Music Therapy from the University of Melbourne.

She established the Music Therapy course at the University of Melbourne in 1978, and was Head of Music Therapy until December 2012, and Director of the National Music Therapy research Unit (NaMTRU) from 1998-2012. She co-founded the Australian Music Therapy Association, and served two terms as President of AMTA. She served three terms as Chair of the Commission of Education, Training and Registration of the World Federation of Music Therapy and was President of the World Federation of Music Therapy from 1999-2002.

Denise has worked as a music therapist with people who have psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders and those with dementia. She is trained in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, and is a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery in the U.S. She is co-author of Receptive Methods in Music Therapy (2007) with Tony Wigram, and co-editor of The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (2002), and Music Medicine 3 (1999).

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