About the CAMT

The Canadian Association for Music Therapy promotes excellence in music therapy practice and education, furthering development and awareness of music therapy in Canada while also serving as an organizational agency for its members.

History

Logo

Organization

History of the CAMT ...top of page

“The founding of a national association of music therapy professionals took some twenty years of dedicated perseverance and great patience” (Ivy 1983).

In the mid-1950's, music therapists were working independently in Canada; notable among them were Fran Herman in Toronto, Ontario, Norma Sharpe in St. Thomas, Ontario, and Thérèse Pageau in Montreal, Québec.

In 1960, Norma Sharpe conducted a survey of music in hospitals across Canada. She discovered that many hospitals used music and music activities in various forms and many of the staff had musical training or background. However, only 3 of the 49 music staff were registered music therapists. This survey provided a baseline measure for music therapists and increased the general awareness of music therapy for hospitals and institutions.

By the 1970's, Norma Sharpe had regular contact with 300 individuals and organizations across Canada who shared an interest in music therapy, and in August, 1974, she presided over the first music therapy conference at St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital in St. Thomas, Ontario. Sixty-three people attended this conference with the theme "Music Therapy: An Idea Whose Time Has Come". Their enthusiasm for and belief in the value of the work they did gave them strength and vision and set the foundations for music therapy as a valuable contributor to health care in Canada.

According to Sharpe (1977), that first conference was organized to unify personnel who were working in music therapy throughout Canada; to become aware of one another's existence; to share techniques, programs and assessment of rehabilitative effectiveness.

Successive conferences were held in May, 1975, at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in May, 1976, at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. It was at these conferences that our national music therapy association was founded and named the Canadian Music Therapy Association.

The title of the association was amended in 1976 to the Canadian Association for Music Therapy and on May 6, 1977, CAMT was incorporated and the objectives were redefined as follows:

1. To promote the use and development of music therapy in the treatment, education, training, and rehabilitation of children and adults suffering from emotional, physical, or mental handicaps, by:

• establishing, maintaining, and improving standards of treatment and service in music therapy;
• establishing, maintaining, and improving standards for education and training for music therapists;
• encouraging, developing, and promoting research in music therapy;
• encouraging, developing, and promoting a body of literature in and related to music therapy;
• furthering the practice of music therapy in scope and quality, in clinical, educational, and community settings throughout Canada.

2 To serve as an organizational agency for its members by:

• providing channels for the exchange of ideas, advice, guidance, information, and professional experience in and about music therapy;
• providing a central body of information on aspects of and relating to music therapy;
• representing the interests of music therapists in matters relating to government legislation, job matters, and salary scales;
• encouraging and assisting persons or institutions in preparing, qualifying, and establishing themselves as music therapy clinicians;
• encouraging and assisting educational institutions in developing and establishing music therapy training programs.

Logo...top of page

The CAMT logo adopted by the CAMT Board of Directors in May, 1976, was proposed by Susan Munro and designed by Margit Stutz and Freddi Jaggi of Design Link in Montreal, Québec. In Munro's explanation in the June 1981 CAMT newsletter, she states that the logo symbolizes the ear channel through which music reaches us and the heart where our emotions and feelings are reflected. Within the "ear" is a symbolized shape of the human brain, the centre of human thinking and function, which is susceptible to musical stimulation. The shape of the ear alludes to the shape of a guitar, symbolizing musical instruments.

The overall design of shapes and lines reflects composition, form, rhythm, and movement; as a whole, the logo represents the essence of the uniqueness of music therapy and the multi-dimensional qualities of music in relation to humans.

Although the logo was designed in the 1970's, it has a timeless quality that projects into the future and suggests that music and medicine will once more complement each other.

Organization...top of page

The Board of Directors of CAMT consists of 15 MTA members elected from the general membership for a 2 year term of office. The executive committee of 5 is appointed from amongst these 15 members. To date, CAMT has had 15 presidents who have represented us at national and international conferences and meetings as well as carrying out their executive duties. The current president is Guylaine Vaillancourt and she can be contacted through the CAMT office.