Music Therapy with Families: Meeting online in 2026

CONNECTING & REFLECTING

These gatherings are intended as open and welcoming spaces where colleagues from different backgrounds and contexts can come together — to listen, to share, and to engage in meaningful dialogue around music therapy with families.
We are planning to rotate these sessions across different countries and time zones, so that participation can become more accessible and inclusive for our international community.

 

 

Connecting & Reflecting: Couples in Music Therapy
11th May 2026 | Online (Zoom)

9:00 am (Vancouver), 11:00 am (Bogota) 12:00 am (New York), 5:00 pm (London), 6:00 pm (Berlin), 6:00 pm (Cape Town) 
Please, check your time zone: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20241031T070000&p1=136&p2=28&p3=102&p4=152

We warmly invite you to join the first Connecting & Reflecting session, exploring work with couples in music therapy with families. This online session brings together colleagues interested in sharing clinical experiences, research perspectives, and reflections on working with couples.

Speakers:

  • Kristi Stedje (NOR): Couplehood in music – clinical practice and research perspectives on music therapy and couples living with dementia
  • Sanne Storm (DK): Music therapeutic birth preparation for couples

Chairs: Laura Blauth (DE) & Kirsi Tuomi (FIN)

Each presentation will be followed by time for questions and shared discussion. Depending on the number of participants, there will also be opportunities for smaller breakout conversations.
The session will last approximately two hours and will be hosted by the chairs.

This is a free online event, aiming to create space for dialogue, reflection, and international connection among colleagues.

Please, register here: https://mdw-ac-at.zoom.us/meeting/register/wcs1A0idT2ClumY1hJXDdw

 

 

Kristi Stedje (NOR): Couplehood in music – clinical practice and research perspectives on music therapy and couples living with dementia

Content:  I will present examples from my clinical work with couples living with dementia, from the broader perspective of music therapy in residential and home-based care settings, and from the focused perspective of the clinical intervention of HOMESIDE and my PhD work. Further, I will present research-based knowledge on the influences of shared music experiences on relationship quality, based on two empirical studies from my PhD, including perspectives from both persons living with dementia, their spousal partners and music therapists.

About my passion for working with families:  As a music therapist specialized in dementia care, I have gained insights into the serious impact dementia has on the whole family and especially the closest family members, such as spousal partners. I have also experienced how music may be a key to sustain family relationships through the phases of dementia.