“I was impressed by how profoundly the patients were touched by the music,” says Olesia Vepryk, who as part of her Erasmus+ semester at the mdw attended music therapy sessions in a Vienna clinic. She now incorporates her collected knowledge and experience into her music therapy work as a psychologist in a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine.

Olesia Vepryk studied piano at the Academy of Music in Kyiv and subsequently psychology at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv. At the end of her psychology studies, she by chance heard about the possibility of doing an Erasmus+ semester at the mdw in the area of music therapy. She immediately decided to apply, and spent the final semester of her studies, summer semester 2023, at the mdw.

Olesia was aware of the therapeutic effects of music even before she began exploring music therapy at an academic level. Following her piano studies, she taught in a music school, and she noticed in the case of a student with ADHS what a positive impact music and music-making had on this young person. “At this point, I still knew nothing about music therapy. I decided to study psychology and combine it with my musical training,” recalls Olesia about her chosen course of study. At the mdw, she had a heavy course load with nine classes. “I learned the history of music therapy and about evidence-based research in music therapy,” she says. “After that semester, I had a good overview.” Along with mdw teachers, she sat in on music therapy sessions in a hospital. “It was so interesting for me to see how the patients reflected on the music that they created in therapy and how they shared their feelings and experiences with the group,” she remarks.

It was new to her to learn about what instruments can be used in music therapy, she says: “Some of the instruments used were unfamiliar to me. In my present work, I apply this knowledge about what instruments are required.” The mdw teachers also showed her the multitude of ways the piano can be utilised in music therapy. There is no piano available at her present workplace, so she tries to constantly improve her guitar-playing skills. In her therapy sessions, she works with patients with various mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and depression. “At the beginning of a session, we usually use instruments, and I sometimes use singing as well. With young people, creating their own songs has proven to have an especially positive effect,” says the psychologist.

The connections between the mdw and UCU in the area of music therapy are constantly being maintained, with students for music therapy sent to the mdw. Olesia’s teachers Anastasiia Shyroka and Iryna Semkiv were also guests at the mdw and gave a lecture during Olesia’s stay.

Music therapy as a course of study is not yet offered at Ukrainian universities. Olesia was enlisted by the UCU to introduce the basics of music therapy and music therapy methods to bachelor students in psychology. It is important to her to convey how complex the training for music therapists is. “As a music therapist, you have to possess numerous professional skills and have solid training in piano, guitar, and voice,” she explains.

Olesia can now draw on the experience and knowledge she acquired from her stay at the mdw, and with her work, she is making an important contribution to the establishment of a music-therapy training programme in Ukraine.

Text: Isabella Gaisbauer