The Department of Music Therapy, holds the 10th music therapy workshop for local professionals at SCHS in the UAE
- Date2024.01.30
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The Department of Music Therapy, Graduate School at our university, (Department head, Ga Eul Yoo) successfully hosted the '2024 The 10th SCHS Music Therapy Workshop' from January 20th to 24th, 2024. The Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), operating under the Sharjah Federal Family Department in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is the largest institution for the treatment and education of individuals with developmental disabilities in the UAE. In 2013, our Department of Music Therapy established a memorandum of understanding with both University of Sharjah and SCHS. Since then, our ongoing collaboration with these institutions has been focused on the development and advancement of therapeutic interventions and educational programs within the country.
This year’s workshop was conducted by Professor Hyun Ju Chong and Adjunct Professor Juri Yoon from the Department of Music Therapy, with the partcipation of 30 local rehabilitation specialists. Over the next six months, music therapists On Yoo Kim and Chansong Kim, both our university's graduates, will be responsible for professional training and on-site supervision. Since our MOU in 2013, the Department of Music Therapy has conducted the 'Music Therapy Workshop' and professional training programs annually. To date, 28 music therapy interns and 12 music therapy supervisors from our department have been dispatched, and approximately 900 children with developmental disabilities at SCHS have received music therapy services through this program.
In addition, our department has organized music therapy programs for staff and parents 20 times, hosted two international music therapy forums in 2015 and 2021, and published six research papers in international journals, demonstrating our active collaboration and academic achievements through this unique partnership.
This success can be attributed to the intrinsic therapeutic power of music, which transcends language and cultural barriers, thereby facilitating meaningful communication among individuals with special needs. Our collaborative efforts has been dedicated to passionately developing and expanding education and training programs optimized for the local community. The Department of Music Therapy will continue to make efforts to play its pioneering role in the Arab region, a relatively undeveloped area for music therapy, by sharing the excellent academic and human resources of our university. We also plan to promote the professional expertise and practical significance of music therapy through extensive research initiatives.
Introduction by local media on the Music Therapy Workshop held this year
(from left in the photo: our university’s alumni Chansong Kim, On Yoo Kim, an SCHS representative, Professor Hyun Ju Chong and Juri Yoon from the Department of Music Therapy)