You are warmly invited to contribute your work and research. This is a unique opportunity to exchange your experiences and showcase your work and research in music therapy with professionals from around the world.
Submissions are welcome for paper presentations, e-posters, roundtables, workshops and world café on topics covering all aspects of music therapy practice and research aligned with the theme “Connecting Borders” as introduced in our welcome message.
The congress offers professionals and researchers a valuable opportunity to meet in person, present their work, engage in discussions and exchange ideas. To foster meaningful interaction, all presentations must be delivered in person; online presentations won’t be accepted.
To ensure the inclusion of the greatest number of quality presentations, the Scientific Committee will consider only two abstracts per presenter as the first author, regardless of the presentation category. There are no limits on co-authorship.
All selected presenters are required to attend the congress in Bologna in person. Each Presenter must register separately through the online registration system and pay the registration fee.
February 1, 2025
June 8, 2025
June 21 – July 21, 2025
September 15, 2025
Abstracts must be submitted by June 8, 2025 at 11:59 pm (CET). Please, create your abstract by respecting the following guidelines:
Presentation topics are Theory, Practice, Research and Training.
Abstracts may be submitted electronically only, via the abstract submission web platform.
Abstracts can be saved in draft status and updated several times on the web platform before the submission deadline. Once you have submitted your abstract, the system will generate a temporary submission code that must be used in all correspondence with the Secretariat and you will receive an automatic email confirmation (please ensure that the email address is correct before confirming).
Abstracts sent by post, email or fax won’t be accepted.
Abstract acceptance will be reviewed by members of the Scientific Committee and coordinated by the Organising Committee following the peer-review process, blindly performed by two reviewers within the Scientific Committee. The review process will assess abstracts based on the specified evaluation criteria:
Authors will be informed of the acceptance or rejection of their submission by September 15, 2025.
Upon acceptance, you will be requested to provide a brief biography (up to 50 words) for the Abstract Book, highlighting your training background, professional experience, current role, institutional affiliation and primary areas of interest.
By submitting the abstract all Authors automatically give permission to publish it in the book of abstracts.
The 18th World Music Therapy Congress emphasizes the importance of adhering to high standards of ethical and scientific practice. Additionally, all congress contributions involving or referencing individual persons must respect the rights and dignity of clients/patients, particularly when using clinical audio or video material.
Presenters are therefore required to comply with the following guidelines:
A total of 15 minutes for the presentation, followed by 5 minutes of discussion.
Posters will be prepared in digital format and will be presented within a 3-minute timeframe. Poster presentations will take place throughout the three days of the congress (details to be confirmed). If your poster is accepted, you will receive further communication with technical instructions on how to prepare and submit your digital poster.
A total of 60 minutes: 4 presentations of 10 minutes each and 20 minutes of discussion with the audience.
90 minute-workshops focus on practical applications of music therapy. One or more facilitators provide a brief introduction and guide participants through hands-on activities to develop and practice specific skills.
A total of 60 minutes: 2-3 facilitators prepare a set of 4-5 questions related to a professional topic and lead group discussions. Participants gather in groups of 6-8 to exchange ideas. After 10 minutes of discussion, facilitators move to another group to collect the results and discuss the next question. Once all rounds are completed, key points and results are shared with all participants.