For as long as I can remember music has been important in my life, I started playing the guitar aged 10 when my Dad taught me a few chords.  I have also always loved listening to music.  I play the guitar, both classical and acoustic. I also sing and play the piano a little. I studied music at the University of Sheffield and after graduating in 1997 I decided that I would like to work in entertainment retail and manage my own store.  I had a successful retail career and became a store manager within two years.

After a few years I started thinking that maybe I would like to do something more challenging and creative.  I considered music therapy for a long time before deciding to apply for the training course and I found everything out about the work fascinating. 

I decided that it might be the right career for me.  I started my post-graduate training in September 2005 at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and qualified with a post-graduate diploma in January 2007. I later completed writing my music therapy MA in 2010, about the role of a music therapist in educational settings. I continued studying alongside work and completed a foundation level diploma in systemic thinking and practice (family therapy) at the University in Derby in 2009. I am now doing the next stage of family therapy training at Plymouth Teaching Primary Care trust and I work as a music therapist for Cornwall Learning Music Therapy Service. Changing career has been a huge challenge but I feel very enthusiastic about the work that I have done so far.

I have been working with adults with learning disabilities, in mainstream schools, special schools and with older adults, my work has included:

• Individual therapy sessions

• Running music therapy groups

• Therapy work in schools, groupwork and individual sessions

• Music therapy assessments

• Singing groups