Aberdeen’s Wellsound music therapy centre opens
The official opening of the University of Aberdeen’s new Centre for Music Therapy, in the Faculty of Education, Hilton, will take place today (Friday, December 14) at 12.30pm. The Centre’s patron is the distinguished percussionist Evelyn Glennie.
Wellsound is a charity project, which was launched in 1994 to develop music therapy opportunities for children and adults with special educational needs in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. It was the brainchild of James Robertson who lectures in music therapy on the current Bachelor of Education with Honours (BEd) Music degree programme.
The new Centre will house a wide range of percussion instruments and will be used as a teaching base for the music therapy component of the BEd Music degree. The instruments will also be taken out to schools to benefit local children and adults with special educational needs.
The opening of the Centre will take place at a reception in the refectory at the Hilton campus. Guests include representatives from First Bus, the Press & Journal, NorthSound Radio and Marks & Spencer, who will be given the opportunity to try out the instruments.
James Robertson, Project Director, said: "The main purpose of this event is to give thanks to the wide range of individuals and organisations who have contributed generously in many ways to the project since its launch over seven years ago.
“We are proud of the large selection of instruments and equipment that are now available to be used in the extremely important area of music therapy and I would like to take this occasion to acknowledge the goodwill and generosity of so many people who have made this Centre possible."
Further information about the new Centre can be obtained by contacting Lesley MacLennan, University of Aberdeen on: (01224) 272517, or email: l.m.maclennan@abdn.ac.uk