Latvia

In Latvia professional Music Therapy Association was found last year, and now it has already 46 members. We have created a good cooperation also with Latvia Art Therapy Association and as the result of this cooperation a joint professional standard is established.

The accreditation or Music Therapy study program in Liepaja Pedagogical Academy is of great importance. The first 15 new music therapists graduated from this program in June this year. Germany (Dateln Children Clinic and association “ Aktion Mensch”) helped us to educate these therapists. With support of Germans, including personal activities of R. Hauss, we managed to invite outstanding specialists to teach in our program – Jaakko Erkkila with his assistant Tony Wirgam, and R. Neuhausel from Munich.

This year our association and the program got involved in EUROPET activities (conference in Riga). You also received the invitation to join EUROMUSIC project together with European Association of Pediatricians. Hopefully this cooperation will continue. This association has already granted un some finances that we could invite outstanding music therapists to teach in our program. Prof. T. Wirgam already agreed to be one of them. We are very grateful for these wonderful possibilities and look forward to further cooperation with every one of you.