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Around six years ago, I decided to become a music therapist. However difficult and long the journey has been, I am grateful that I become more convinced each passing year, that this is what I want to do in life. Finally, I have recently completed my training and am ready to embark on a new journey as a qualified music therapist.As I am preparing to throw myself out there, more questions arose. Where should I practice? Should I stay in the UK or return to my home country? If I went back to Asia, how would the training I did in the UK fit in? What kind of client population I would like to work with? And ultimately, how can I (a young therapist) contribute to this profession?Receiving a student scholarship to attend the World Congress of Music Therapy 2014 means being given a wonderful opportunity to learn how music therapy is practiced in different countries. It was fascinating to see the variety in the approaches and how music therapy is delivered in different cultures. Despite all the differences, it was also reassuring to meet over 1000 people from around the world who passionately work in this field and are trying to make the profession well-known and accepted. Wherever we come from and whichever language we speak, we hold onto one mission, we love music and cherish human beings!Having witnessed the WFMT’s attempts to involve students in the Congress and provide us with some useful sharing sessions, I feel encouraged to take part in enhancing the growth of our profession. With this in mind, I hope to collaborate with other music therapists and professionals, sharing and reflecting together, researching and learning from others’ works in order to maximize the potential of music and help more people benefit from it. See you at the next Congress!Monica SubiantoroStudent at Anglia Ruskin University, UK2014 WCMT Student Scholarship Recipient
