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The student scholarship made it financially possible for me to attend the World Congress of Music Therapy in Krems, and it led me to broaden my perspective on the global network of music therapy. This global music therapy network became visible to me right at the beginning of the World Congress during the pre-conference in Vienna, where I was surprised and excited to spot an Australian music therapist with whom I had worked during an internship in Melbourne in 2007. It was a very lucky coincidence that we met again there in Austria, and it was just the first of numerous contacts I was able to make with music therapists and students all over the world during the Congress. The open atmosphere and the friendliness of both, the organizational team as well as the speakers and participants made it easy to approach people and start talking, even to those who I only had been aware of as well-known authors of music therapy literature so far.A Congress day could start with a breakfast-talk about music therapy in Hawaii, go on with chatting to music therapists from Israel and Ireland while waiting for a workshop, and lead to learning about music therapy training in India during the coffee break.A highlight was also the poster session and the student poster session where it was very inspiring for me to hear about different project possibilities music therapists and music therapy students have thought of and developed in countries all over the world. In this context, the subject of intercultural competences and intercultural difficulties attached to working in music therapy practice or training in a different culture was of great interest to me. As a board member of the European Association of Music Therapy Students (EAMTS), the Congress was also a great opportunity for me to get in contact and establish networks with other student organizations and students from around the world.Next to the great possibility to meet and make personal contact with other music therapists, the program of the Congress included many opportunities to reflect on music therapy practice and research and to develop new perspectives and a deeper understanding of music therapy. Particularly the spotlight sessions, where specialists from different countries spoke about a relevant topic in the field of music therapy, gave me important insight to the global practice of music therapy today. It was very interesting for me to hear about the latest studies in music therapy research, which deepened my understanding of the numerous effects music and music therapy can have in work with different client groups. Regarding the wide range of workshops during the Congress, I developed a special interest in the music therapeutic work with voice and singing. I found it very inspiring for my own practice to learn about approaches to vocal psychotherapy in other countries. The attendance of the workshops, paper presentations and spotlight sessions helped me in finding my own interests in the professional field of music therapy and in specifying a topic for my thesis.Another definite highlight of the congress, where the liveliness and creativity of the international music therapy community wasn't only seen and felt, but also heard and expressed through music, was the “Heurigen” Party on Thursday night. At that occasion, a big group of students and music therapists were improvising, singing, and dancing together in the middle of Krems. The music echoed through the night, and here and there some interested citizens came by and listened for a while...To conclude I want to reassert that it was truly a great experience for me to attend the World Congress. I learned a lot during these days, personally as well as professionally, I was able to make new contacts and to revive old friendships. These experiences certainly strengthened my motivation to commit myself to work in global music therapy networks. I sincerely thank the WFMT for giving me this possibility and for enabling this experience through the student scholarship.Claudia ZindelStudent at EAG-FPI, Hückeswagen, Germany2014 WCMT Student Scholarship Recipient
