Buxton Music Therapy
About Me
When given a choice, I prefer doing and showing people what I do. Perhaps, that is why music appeals to me. There is the options of music, words, or both. I like to give workshops, music therapy sessions or piano lessons. I was firstly trained as a classroom music teacher, teaching secondary school children. After 3 years of teaching, at a review with the headteacher, he asked me what I would like to do next. I told him, 'working with music and people'. He suggested tranining for music therapy. I grateful took on his advice and qualified as a music therapist in 2007 at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I decided to focus just on music therapy. But I never really let go of teaching. I took one or two students for piano teaching then one mum passed on the word that I teach piano, then there came lots of students. Many stayed with me for many years until I relocated to be closer to family members in Buxton in 2014.
I studied a music degree at the University of Birmingham. After completion, I went on to train as a classroom music teacher at the University of Cambridge. I was fasinated in how to teach and how to learn because I struggled to learn at school when my family moved to live in Britain in 1990. I was okay before when I was living in Taiwan, though not every subject, I couldn't understand Maths. I noticed in my own journey of learning that the process of learning doesn't just happen in the texts or words. There are the body language, the tone of voice, the pictures, the way it was shown, the time it was taught, etc... During the training of music therapy, I discovered more about how learning takes place - the emotions one encouters when learning happens. That feeling can spurs one on or defeats.
I was offered a position as a music therapist to work with a primary school for children who have social, emotional and mental health needs. The children were relocated to the school due to various reasons which hindered their learnings and music therapy sessions were offered to them as a way to express themselves, be themselves. I was at the beginning when the school first offered such service and left after 3 years.
2015 - 2016
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Leading singing groups for 3 different age groups of children: babies/toddlers/pre-schoolers, with my youngest son, at a local nursery.
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Volunteered with the Alzheimer Society, leading the Singing for the Brain sessions, once a month.
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Began at the Haddon Hall Care Home fortnightly providing music therapy sessions for residents who are living with the late stage of dementia.
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Began private 1:1 music therapy sessions for adults and children.
2017 - 2018
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Collaboration with the Amber Trust which provides funding for music therapy sessions or music lessons for children who are blind or partially blind.
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Began group work with adults who are living with learning disabilities at a HM prison, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
2019
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Began Musical Memories Group for people who are living with Dementia.
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Working with the Alzheimer's Society, leading the Singing for the Brain sessions in Buxton.
