Ep 104 Anita Connell at the Australian Music Therapy Conference 2025 - Part 1

In this episode, first Luke talks to Anita, then we hear Anita's interviews with Professors Denise Grocke and Alison Short. Sandwiched between these two longer interviews there are some shorter conversations with Pip Reid, Lucy Bolger, Wendy Magee, Helen Cameron, Catherine Threlfall and Emma O’Brien. This all took place at the AMTA conference in October 2025, in Melbourne.

Emeritus Professor Denise Grocke PhD, RMT, RGIMT, FAMI, L. Mus.

Emeritus Professor Denise Grocke completed her music therapy qualifications at Michigan State University, USA, and holds a Masters degree in Music Therapy, and a PhD in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM), both from the University of Melbourne. She has worked as a music therapist with people living with mental illness, neurological disorders and dementia. She is trained in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, and is a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery in the U.S. She established the music therapy course at the University of Melbourne in 1978, and for 33 years was Head of Music Therapy. From 1998-2012 she was Director of the National Music Therapy Research Unit (NaMTRU), which she established to promote research in music therapy at a national level. She co-founded the International Consortium of Music Therapy Research Universities in 2002, which enabled large international multi-site trials to advance the Profession. She was President of the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) from 1999-2002, having served three terms as Chair of the Commission of Education, Training and Registration. She co-founded the Australian Music Therapy Association in 1975 and served two terms as its President. Professor Grocke has written extensively on music therapy and Guided Imagery and Music. She is co-author of Receptive Music Therapy (2024, with Dr Katrina McFerran); editor of Guided Imagery and Music: The Bonny Method and Beyond 2nd edition (2019); Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) and Music Imagery Methods for Individual and Group Therapy (2015; co-edited with Torben Moe); co-author of Receptive Methods in Music Therapy (2007) with Tony Wigram, and co-editor of Music Medicine 3 (1999) with Rosalie Rebollo Pratt. In addition she has published 30 book chapters, 50+ refereed journals articles, Cochrane reviews, and online publications. In 2012 she was presented with an Award of Merit, by the American Music

Therapy Association, in recognition of service to the field of music therapy. In 2013 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Australian Music Therapy Association and Honorary Life Membership of the World Federation of Music Therapy, the Australian Music Therapy Association, and the Music and Imagery Association of Australia. In 2016 she was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for services as a pioneering practitioner, researcher, author and teacher in music therapy, and services to professional Organisations.

Assoc. Prof. Alison Short

Alison Short, PhD, MA (MT), BMus (MThy), GCULT, DipTh, CertIV, RMT, MT-BC, RGIMT, FAMI, is Associate Professor of Music Therapy/Music and Health at Western Sydney University, Australia. Alison trained in the very first music therapy course in Australia at the University of Melbourne, then completed her Masters in music therapy at New York University and her PhD at the University of Technology, Sydney. With over 43 years of practice as an Australian Registered Music Therapist, and 34 years holding Board Certification, Alison’s clinical experience encompasses aged and palliative care, mental health and more, in the context of both medical and community settings. In addition, Alison worked for 10 years as a health services researcher on a range of projects and health applications, mostly within the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). Alison is an internationally recognised music therapy academic demonstrating innovative evidence-based and music-focussed expertise with an extensive publication record and frequent international invitations. Alison’s work has been recognised with Honorary Life Membership of both the Australian Music Therapy Association and the Music and Imagery Association of Australia, and she is currently appointed as Regional Representative to the Council of the World Federation of Music Therapy.

References 

Gracida, Maclean and Coombes 2025 Music Therapy with Displaced Persons: Trauma, Transformations and Cultural Connections. Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Scrub choir video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1YtT0qLjDA