Alison Hornblower (NRMT, UK)
Alison trained as a music therapist at the Nordoff Robbins Centre in London in 2005 and has since worked throughout the UK in both medical and non-medical settings with a variety of different children and adults who have various difficulties such as Autism, Profound and Multiple learning difficulties and Dementia. She has worked within the NHS, providing music therapy in forensic and secure mental health settings as well as for the Local Authorities and Social Services.
In addition, Alison has worked within mainstream, early years and special educational. She currently delivers music therapy in a school for moderate learning difficulties and autism as well as being a Manager for the Yorkshire and North East region of the charity and a Tutor for the Nationally accredited Nordoff Robbins Master of Music Therapy training programme at their London base. Alison was recently invited to Canada as a keynote speaker at their AAMT regional conference. In a previous life, she was also a music and drama teacher within secondary education.
Anna Sonetti (PM, Italy)
Anna Sonetti holds an Arts degree from Bologna University, a certificate for the teaching of Italian as a foreign language, and a Master in “Immigration: migration phenomena and social changes” from the University of Venice. She has conducted research on identity representation in young immigrants and on 2nd generation immigrants.
She has many years of experience working with immigrants of all ages in Italian urban and rural areas, refining language teaching practices, and reception, hospitality and inclusion strategies. She has an extended knowledge of migration fluxes and Italian immigration policies. Currently she works in Tuscany as coordinator for inclusion projects in schools, adult Italian teacher, and social educator for refugee immigration policies.
Dario Gentili (IMC, France)
Dario Gentili holds a Master in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology from the University of Siena, with research on the effects of the Israeli Separation Wall on the Palestinian population of the West Bank.
He studied visual and media anthropology in Berlin and has produced numerous visual documents, in particular in the field of psycho-social music education and international cooperation.
He has spent extended periods in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, and more recently has devoted his time to documenting life conditions for the Palestinian and Syrian refugees of Lebanon.
He works in social arts administration, and in documentation and film making.
Davide Woods (PM, Italy)
Davide Woods is a musician and music therapist. Following an MA in Linguistics (Paris III) he obtained a Post Graduate in Music Therapy at University of Bristol.
Presently he works with groups in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and oncology; in individual setting he works with children and adults with autism spectrum disorder and developmental issues. He also coordinates a musical open space for young children in Florence.
He has taught workshops and seminars and collaborated with a variety of institutions and projects including “Music and Resilience” where he taught group dynamics applied to music therapy techniques.
In his work he combines a psycho-dynamic oriented approach with a variety of techniques coming from his experience in improvised jazz music, theatre, teaching.
Deborah Parker (PM, Italy)
Deborah Parker holds a music degree from York University, a Master in cello from the conservatory of Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany, and a Master in music therapy from Anglia Ruskin University UK. She lives in Tuscany, Italy, where she runs the Prima Materia community music project, coordinating a music therapy clinic in cooperation with local health and education services. She has extensive clinical experience with a wide client population of all ages and varied pathologies.
In addition to her work in Italy she is coordinator for the International Cooperation project “Music and Resilience” developing community music and music therapy services in the Palestinian Refugee camps of Lebanon, and has trained Syrian refugee educators in psycho-social music practices in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. She has published in international journals, and has presented at many conferences in Europe and the Middle East.
Henry Brown (PM, Italy)
Henry Brown holds a D.Phil in composition from York University. He has studied composition with Sylvano Bussotti and worked as assistant to Luciano Berio.
He is active as pianist and conductor, performing throughout Europe. As a trumpeter he has been involved with protest street bands in Italy.
He is currently artistic director in the Prima Materia community music project working with youth ensembles and in adult music education.
Since 2006 he has been involved with music projects in Palestine and Lebanon, directing workshops and organizing exchanges between Palestinian students and young musicians from Italy, with particular interest in encouraging peer eduction and the creation of musical arrangements which reflect a synthesis of Arabic and western music traditions.
Ilaria Savini (PM, Italy)
Ilaria Savini is a singer. Trained primarily as an opera singer, she has extended her repertoire to include jazz, electronic music and folk and popular traditions, the latter pertaining in particular to the Italian peninsular, developed with the Tuscan group 'Vincanto'. She is conducting research on the potential of vocal timbre and expression, in relation to the styles and functions of singing.
She teaches singing and vocal awareness in many social settings including schools and music schools, associations and theatrical companies, using a person-centered approach, and promoting vocal formation in groups as a metaphor for understanding relationships in life.
Liliane Younes (NISCVT, Lebanon)
Liliane Younes is of Lebanese nationality and lives in Byblos, Lebanon. She holds a Masters in Psychology from the Lebanese University of Beirut and a diploma in Oriental Music from the Beirut National Consevatory.
She is the Mental Health Program Coordinator for the NISCVT family Guidance Centers, and works as a clinical psychologist in the Beirut center. She is also a School Counselor at the Saida National school and the Natasha Saad school (Maarouf Saad Social and Cultural Foundation) in Saida, South Lebanon.
Martí Ferrer (MCC, Spain)
Martí Ferrer i Bosch is the conductor of Escolania de Sant Feliu de Girona, co-founder of Notes in Cloud (a star-up for distribution of digital scores) and FICTA (a new music publisher house). He conducted for 15 years the choirs and the orchestras of Conservatory of Tarragona and the Mollerussa Music School.
He is former president of SCIC (Catalan Children’s Choirs Federation) and also former president of Moviment Coral Català (Umbrella Catalan Choirs Organization with more than 700 choir including children, youth and adult choirs) during his tenure he founded and coordinated the Inclusion and Choral Singing Conference (five editions) and the Catalan National Youth Choir (three editions).
Nowadays he is responsible of the Mediterranean Office for Choral Singing (Regional Center of the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat), board member of European Choral Association – Europa Cantat and co-founder of Notes in Cloud (a star-up for distribution of digital scores) and FICTA (a new music publisher house).
He conducted several children’s, youth and adult choirs and he is frequently invited as conductor in choir meetings, workshops and participative concerts in Catalonia and abroad. He was required as assistant conductor as well as conductor in some recordings and as adviser for choral and orchestral music editions in publisher houses. He is also musical producer of some recordings for Naxos and others.
Martí Ferrer graduated in the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona as orchestra and choir conductor and as musical pedagogue in the Universitat de Girona. He obtained one European studentship to study in Namur (Institute Superieur de Musique et Pedagogie).
Mercedes Pavlicevic (NRMT, UK)
Mercedes Pavlicevic, PhD is a music therapist trained in the Nordoff-Robbins approach, and a researcher and writer of international stature, with long experience of training and mentoring practitioners and researchers.
Mercedes has worked in situations that challenge and disrupt ideas about music, community, what it means to be human, and about where and why social and economic margins are located where they are. Her doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, focussed on Improvisation in music therapy – and this remains her passion: that all aspects of life are an improvisation, and that cultivating a listening-improvisational stance is at the heart of any humanitarian and music-based work anywhere – including our own familiar territory.
Mohamad Orabi (NISCVT, Lebanon)
Mohamad Orabi is a Palestinian living with refugee status in Lebanon.
He holds a degree in clinical psychology from the Lebanese University of Beirut and has trained extensively in mental heath care and rehabilitation for special needs and trauma.
He works as clinical psychologist for NISCVT in the Family Guidance Center in Saida, South Lebanon, and collaborates with many other NGOs for the psychological support of refugee communities.
Oksana Zharinova-Sanderson (NRMT, UK)
Oksana Zharinova-Sanderson was trained as a classical pianist in the Western Ukraine where she grew up. Her work as a music therapist in the last 20 years has been firmly grounded in the principles of the Nordoff Robbins approach, with its focus on detailed listening, musical imagination and musical potential.
Since training on the Nordoff Robbins Masters programme, she has worked in Berlin with traumatised refugees and torture victims and developed extensive experience in this area of music therapy practice. She has subsequently worked as a music therapist and Nordoff Robbins music therapy promoter and manager in Manchester UK, delivering and setting up sustainable music therapy projects in a wide range of client contexts and organisations in the North of England, including neurological rehabilitation, special needs, dementia, oncology and mental health. She was also closely involved with the development of the Manchester base of the Nordoff Robbins Masters training programme and is a tutor and supervisor on it. She is a keen and passionate educator, focusing on learning from music of all kinds in order to bring its vast potential to the service of vulnerable people.
She is currently working as a Director of Music Services (Delivery and Chief Practitioner) for Nordoff Robbins UK.
Simon Procter (NRMT, UK)
Simon Procter is a Nordoff Robbins music therapist. He studied music in England before moving to Poland, where he first encountered music therapy in action. Passionate about music and people, he has written extensively about music therapy and mental health.
As a practitioner, he believes that music should be a radical force for social change. As a researcher, he is an ethnographer committed to attention to detail: similarly as a trainer, he emphasises the importance of developing acute musical listening skills together with practical musical ways not just of responding to people but of actively helping them to flourish.
Simon works for Nordoff Robbins in the UK, with responsibility for its education, research and quality assurance activities.
Simone Faraoni (PM, Italy)
Simone Faraoni holds a degree in Political Sciences and a diploma in piano, reflecting his interest in socio-political history and current events with his dedication to music. He has trained extensively in music pedagogy, and choral conducting, with research in anthropology of music and ethnomusicology.
He works as choral director with many choirs and vocal groups in Tuscany, with whom he performs extensively. He is also dedicated to the revival of songs from the folk and popular tradition, directing many projects as arranger, composer, conductor, pianist and accordion player.
He works intensively with associations promoting non-formal, permanent music education in close contact with the local territory, including Old People's Homes, schools, youth choirs and adult amateurs, directing workshops dedicated promoting music as a resource for social integration.