“My name is Jamal Jasani Glynn sobriquet Pacman and I come from Geranium Drive Morvant in Trinidad. I have been a steelpan player for over 29 years, member of some of the most famous steelbands in Trinidad and England and a professional musician at the Trinidad and Tobago National Steel Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 I applied for a Developmental award for a music therapist training from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago who awarded me a full scholarship to train as a Music Therapist at The Anglia Ruskin University. I am now a qualified music therapist at the postgraduate MA level who utilizes the steelpan as the primary musical instrument to form therapeutic relationship. In my first year of work I set up new posts and am working full time in the field of mental health in Trinidad now.

At the university there is a lot of support from lecturers, other students and facilities. For example, being dyslexic I had the opportunity to have professionals read over my work. This was very useful. Particularly useful were mentors. This provided the opportunity to speak to professional music therapist and student music therapists in training who were a year above me. This assisted with a better understanding of what music therapy is.

The course includes practical clinical placements in three different settings. My first placement was at a special needs school for six months where I interacted with autistic children at different ends of the spectrum. Coming from a teaching background of the steelpan, it was at the beginning sometimes a struggle to differentiate between clinical and community work. However, learning about the difference between teaching and music therapy proved to be useful for my training.

There is still a lot of room for further studies on the steelpan since it is a young instrument and growing in importance and this will be critically important for future endeavours. I enjoyed having the opportunity to be part of the vast community at the university and going to rehearsals and playing for fellow students in their undergraduate music programme. There aren't many universities that embrace the steelpan into their programme. All in all, my course offered me the fantastic opportunity to show the special characteristics and differences of the steelpan compared to other music instruments.
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“Undertaking the music therapy training course at Anglia Ruskin has been both a challenging and enriching experience. The course content is brilliant, covering both practical and theoretical aspects of study to prepare students for the role of a music therapist. The tutors are well-published and highly respected in the field of music therapy and health sciences. Together they bring an incredible wealth of experiences from their various settings of work, and students are provided with a nurturing and supportive network from the teaching staff as lecturers, tutors, and supervisors. The music therapy clinic is well-resourced with two music therapy rooms (where teaching is often held), recording equipment, and a resource room. This course has brought music therapy to life for me, and I leave Anglia Ruskin greatly inspired and grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this excellent programme.
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“I wanted to train to become a music therapist and was particularly interested in courses offering a psychotherapeutically informed approach to the work. I was also interested in a course that would provide a variety of different work placements. The course offered by Anglia Ruskin University met both these criteria and when I was applying it had just received a positive Health Professions Council endorsement.

As a Cambridge resident with two children attending schools in the area, the close locality of the campus was a deciding factor and the course has met and exceeded many of my expectations. I benefited from plenty of hands-on experience throughout, both in the form of placements and through a wide range of workshops run by peer groups, experienced therapists and local agencies, as well as national and international professionals who are involved in the work of the Department.”