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The Nordoff Robbins approach

The Nordoff Robbins approach

Using the power of music to make a difference

The power of participation

The Nordoff Robbins approach to music therapy doesn’t take a fixed form or pursue a single set of outcomes. Instead, it’s a way of understanding the power and possibilities of music making, then applying that understanding to meet the specific needs of every client, family and community.

Every session is based on musical participation. This is always collaborative, sometimes one to one, sometimes in groups. These collaborations are led by our clients with support from our therapists.

A young client excitedly creates music on a drum, as a music therapist holds the instrument out to them
Nordoff and Robbins music therapist Paddy excitedly plays the drums during a music therapy session at ReCoCo, one of our partner organisations in Newcastle.

Our approach

Music and people

  • Music therapy comes in many forms, but all Nordoff and Robbins music therapists work within the specific Nordoff Robbins approach.
  • Our approach is often described as ‘music-centred’. The music therapist’s role is to develop the client’s experience of musical participation, opening them up to the many rewards of music making.
  • Our music making is entirely collaborative. Clients and therapists work together in musical companionship so that each person’s therapy is meaningful to them and as impactful as possible.
  • Every session is different because every client is different.
  • Our approach is based in musical experience, informed by research and shared through our education and training programmes.
  • Music is social, not just individual. How and where we engage with clients is also shaped by our potential impact on their families and communities.
  • We understand music therapy as a form of social activism. We seek change not only for individuals but also for wider society. We hear the potential of each person we work with, and we want to help society hear this too.
A music therapist and young client sit side by side as they play the piano at a Nordoff and Robbins partner school

Our therapists

Highly trained, musically imaginative therapists

Nordoff and Robbins music therapists are trained to Masters level and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Our music therapists tune into each person’s potential, moment by moment, and shape the session accordingly. No two sessions will ever be the same. 

This approach requires our music therapists to work with intense concentration, imagination, empathy and attention to detail. The therapist needs to be acutely aware of what is happening in each instant, the direction in which the musical collaboration could develop, and how this might benefit the client.

The Nordoff Robbins approach originated in the 1950s and was built on the insights gained by musicians through a wide range of music-making experiences. Over the years, our approach has been extended, refined and developed, informed by our practical experience and ongoing research. The training undertaken by our music therapists continues to evolve as our understanding of their impact increases.

In listening so closely and responding to our clients, we’re giving a voice to people who are not normally heard. I see it happen literally when I offer a microphone to my elderly clients living with dementia: voices that are usually little more than a whisper suddenly command the attention of the whole room.

Pam, music therapist

Our client stories

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To make all this happen, we’re reliant upon the generosity of people like you. We receive no government funding, so the transformative work we do is built upon fundraising, donations and volunteering.

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