Welcoming friends and supporters to our new-and-improved music therapy centre

It’s been a project years in the making – we bought the original building with the money raised from the incredible Knebworth House gig in 1990, where performances from Genesis, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Elton John raised money for Nordoff Robbins and the BRIT School.

The London Centre has served us well since then, but music therapy has evolved as we have developed our practice, and technology has also moved on significantly in the last 27 years. We were very pleased to give the centre a much-needed facelift, making it a welcoming, fit-for-purpose space that is fully adjusted to our clients’ needs.

We were joined last night for our Chair’s Party by a host of special guests, including Honorary President of Nordoff Robbins International and former CEO Pauline Etkin, and retired music therapist Jean Eisler. Jean – who celebrated her 100th birthday last year – was one of the first ever students of the charity’s founders Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins. Both were honoured in recognition of their contribution and dedication to Nordoff Robbins over the years. 

Cutting the ribbon were Nordoff Robbins Chair David Munns and former beneficiary and now Ambassador Ed Buckley. Music therapy helped Ed rebuild his life after a speeding taxi left him in a coma with an extensive stay in neuro rehab. You can see more about Ed’s story here.

Following the redesign, support staff are now housed in the same building as the music therapists, and the centre serves not only the local communities, welcoming hundreds of people from Islington, Camden and Hackney, but those travelling in from further afield.

This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Nordoff Robbins as we aim to change even more lives through music therapy, and we’re very pleased to have had so many guests there setting off on that journey with us.