In Pictures: Edinburgh 2022The First Hybrid EMTC Conference
27th July 2022
Bettina Eichmanns recently wrote a fantastic post about her experience at the Edinburgh conference for the German Music Therapy Society blog, which she has very kindly translated into English. The original post in German can be viewed here.
THE 12TH EUROPEAN MUSIC THERAPY CONFERENCE WAS HELD AT QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY IN EDINBURGH FROM 8-12 JUNE 2022. IT WAS THE FIRST EMTC CONFERENCE IN HYBRID FORMAT. THE MOTTO “MUSIC THERAPY IN PROGRESS – PLEASE DISTURB” COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE APPROPRIATE.
About the title: “In Progress” means that something is not yet finished. It also indicates that one is open to the new, willing to change and continue learning.
Hosting a conference with about 850 participants, including presenters, poster authors and organisers spread across the globe, in a hybrid format, is an unprecedented event in music therapy, which the organising team of the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) and Queen Margaret University (QMU) pulled off magnificently. That it was technically successful is an organisational masterpiece.
The programme benefited greatly from the motto “Please disturb”. It was extremely varied, and packed full, with twelve parallel sessions over four days. Bravo!
Speakers, participants, roundtables, workshops: all in hybrid connection
720 participants (470 in-person and 250 online) from 45 countries signed up for the event. Not only were they spread over the halls on site and computer screens worldwide, but everything was also virtually connected on large screens, via chat, and through the formidable WHOVA app.
Speakers, workshop moderators, roundtable panels – they were also partly on site, partly live online, whilst some of their pre-recorded video presentations were screened automatically, and the speakers connected live for questions. This is what the hybrid conference looked like on site:
Indispensable when operating the many communication channels: an online manager on site for each seminar.
Spaces for Art
Another part of the event that could only be experienced on site were the artistic spaces “Space to Create”, “Space to Play”, and the exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the EMTC.
The Conference Suite
Here you could admire some of the exhibits of the EMTC members in the “EMTC 30th Anniversary Exhibition”. A selection:
Sonic Shoogle and Space to Play
The Scottish word shoogle means “to shake, sway, or rock back and forth”. The open stage during the lunch break was available for “sonic shoogling” every day. A discovery in my case on the last day: a room full of instruments – the dream of all music therapists.
Space to Create
A great idea: a room full of pens, paints and art materials. Pictures are the easiest to take home. Here are a few. The artists are welcome to come forward so that we can give a name to their creations.
More Sonic Shoogle
Here are two short videos from the lunchtime open stage. Unfortunately, I did not ask for the names of the musicians. Whoever is playing here, or those of you who know who they are, please get in touch so I can add credits!
In this post I have given space mainly to pictures and videos. A huge thank you to the fantastic organising team who presented all the speakers with these wonderful cards.
Looking at them makes me think of one thing in particular: I am already looking forward to the next EMTC conference – see you at the 13th European Music Therapy Conference 2025 in Hamburg!
Bettina Eichmanns is a music therapist (DMTG, AIM), musicologist, certified seminar leader for Benenzon music therapy and freelance lecturer. Clinical and research focus: individual and group therapy in the areas of coma vigil and gerontopsychiatry. Music therapist in the department for persons in vegetative state of the Fondazione Don Gnocchi Milan.
Links
European Music Therapy Conference EMTC 2022 – Queen Margaret University Conference Website – qmu.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/emtc-2022
British Music Therapy Organisation – bamt.org
Translated with DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
