This month Jo Gibson and Sophie Hope look at various roles that music therapy has played at Guildhall School of Music and Drama from the 1970s to the 2020s.

 

Echoes and the Unsaid 

EPISODE 09 | SEPTEMBER 23 | 2026

 

HOSTS

Jo Gibson | Sophie Hope

 

COMMENTARY

The Music Therapy postgraduate programme at Guildhall School of Music and Drama was founded in 1967 by Juliette Alvin.

  In this episode Jo and Sophie are joined by:

• Leslie Bunt, who taught on the course from 1980 to 1993
• Sarah Hoskyns, who taught on the course from 1982 to 2005 and was programme lead from 1990
• Ann Sloboda, who has taught on the course since 1984 and is currently programme lead
• Donald Wetherick, who has taught on the course since 2003 and completed his PhD in Music Therapy at Guildhall
• Emma Kenrick, a graduate of the course (2016) who is now a tutor on it, as well as full-time Music Therapist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

The group discuss the origins of the course and the development of Music Therapy as an area of research in its own right. 

They talk about the importance of students working on placements alongside staff in different sectors, such as prisons, hospices, schools and hospitals, and the role of clinical improvisation. They also explore how songwriting, listening to meaningful music, and a wider range of instruments, not just piano, have become central to therapy over the years. 

Finally, they discuss the need for institutions to support and adequately resource the staff on these courses, not just the students.

 

REFERENCES

To be added on Monday September 26!