Amanda Lee

After graduating from our MA Music Therapy, Amanda returned to her home country of Taiwan to work as a freelance music therapist and raise awareness of the discipline.

Tell us a bit more about the work you’ve been been doing since graduating from ARU.

It has been a year since I graduated from ARU and returned to Taiwan, where I am now working as a freelance music therapist in the southern region. I play piano as my primary instrument — classical, and a bit of jazz — and violin as my second, then guitar and a bit of singing too.

Music therapy is still relatively new here, especially in the south. About twenty years ago, the first group of Taiwanese music therapists returned home after completing their training abroad, mostly in the US, the UK, or other parts of Europe, as there was no local training programme at that time. Since then, they have been working hard to promote and advocate for the profession.

Even so, music therapy remains relatively new to much of the public. The cost of services is still relatively high compared with other forms of therapy, and in most cases it is not covered by funding. The exception is early childhood intervention, which is now partly supported by the government — an encouraging step forward.

At present, most music therapists in Taiwan work independently. We put a lot of effort into raising awareness and helping people understand what music therapy is and how it can support wellbeing.

Where and what did you study before joining ARU?

I completed my bachelor’s degree in Taiwan, majoring in psychology and counselling/psychotherapy. I have also had a strong background in music since childhood, having trained in a classical music conservatoire. Thus, I already had both a musical and psychological foundation before coming to the UK to pursue further study.

Why did you choose ARU?

What impressed me the most during the application process was the support I felt. The interview itself was a very positive experience. Our course director, Claire Molyneux, was one of the interviewers, and she asked thoughtful and detailed questions that showed how much she cared about the quality of her students.

After receiving the offer, I was surprised by how responsive the department was. Whether I wrote to lecturers or to admin staff, I always received replies very quickly. This gave me a sense of being supported even before I enrolled.

I also knew that the ARU music therapy programme already had a strong reputation in Taiwan. In recent years, quite a number of alumni have returned and made significant contributions to the field, so ARU music therapy has become well-known in Taiwan!

What inspired you to get involved with music therapy in the first place?

My earliest experiences with music were not always joyful. I was sent to attend a conservatoire from a young age, where the atmosphere was competitive and demanding. Since music education was expensive, it often became a source of conflict at home. For me, music initially represented stress rather than joy.

As I grew older, however, I began to discover my own love for music through playing, composing, and exploring it on my own terms. I realised that I didn’t want to follow the traditional path of becoming a performer or a singer. I wanted to do something different, something meaningful.

A turning point came when I was sixteen, volunteering as a summer teacher in a small village in Tibet. I taught music to young children who spoke Tibetan, a language I did not understand. Despite the language barrier, we connected through rhythm, humming, and body drumming. It was powerful to see how music could bring smiles, bridge differences, and create understanding without words. That experience was the moment I realised I wanted to dedicate myself to this work, which eventually led me to music therapy.

What’s the most valuable thing you took away from your education?

There were a lot, but I think the most valuable was confidence. Back in the conservatoire in Taiwan, playing music sometimes came with criticism rather than encouragement. During my studies in ARU, however, I had many opportunities to explore different kinds of music and to make music with people from very diverse backgrounds —folk, classical, and many different instruments and medium. A central part of our training was improvisation, and we did it everywhere: in small groups, large groups, even with dramatherapy students. Outside the classroom, we still had space to improvise together.

What I came to realise was that improvisation wasn’t just a clinical tool. It also became a way of expressing myself and caring for myself. There is no right or wrong in improvisation, as long as it is spontaneous, genuine, and responsive. Through this process I began receiving comments like: “Your music is interesting. It’s intriguing. It’s humorous — I can hear the humour.” At first, I wasn’t sure how to take these words, but gradually I let them in. They helped me loosen my perfectionism, the constant demand to ‘play good music.’

That shift gave me a new perspective on my music, on my feelings when I play, and on my relationship with music itself. I began to see that any music we play can be enough. If it supports our clients and if it nourishes us as musicians and therapists, then there is no need for perfection. That was when I truly began to feel confident in my playing.

What challenges has the course helped you overcome?

I think as therapists we face many challenges, and it was quite hard for me to start a completely new profession in a familiar place. Even though it’s my hometown, after two years abroad I experienced a kind of reverse cultural shock. People don’t necessarily understand what you do, so you end up explaining yourself every day. It was much harder than I expected.

When I first came back, I also noticed that most music therapists I worked with had been trained in the U.S., and they had very different ways of thinking. Their backgrounds and philosophical beliefs were not the same as mine, and that made me feel quite isolated. It was then that I started to reflect on what my own training had given me.

And then I found several things from the course that helped a lot: our experiential group, the dream analysis group, sharing reflective journals, peer supervision, and peer support — all of these were part of our training. Toward the end of the course, there was even a session where our lecturers spoke about how to promote music therapy in a new place, and how to make yourself visible.

So these are all my resources, and when I feel anxious I can take them out of my bag and use them. I would say ARU teaches the essence of being a therapist. I mean, they teach a lot of useful theory of course, but the essence is important. When you feel lost, when you feel anxious, that's the thing you can stand with.

Which aspects of the course most helped your career development, and why?

We had two placements, and they could be in very diverse settings, even in different cities. My first-year placement was in a mainstream primary school in North Cambridge, while my second-year placement was in an adult NHS mental health hospital. The contrast between the client groups meant that the methods and approaches also had to change. Over the two years, I worked with a wide range of people — from mainstream children, to children with special needs, to adults with mental health conditions, and even elderly people with dementia. Each time we set up a session, we had to think carefully about our aims, the activities we would use, and the therapeutic goals — which varied greatly depending on the clients.

Having such different placement sites was extremely helpful, because after coming back to Taiwan, I already had experience with a wide range of people. I can work with people living with dementia, with children, with teachers and students — with all kinds of groups. That made me feel prepared and confident.

The music therapy teaching team also sometimes provided us with work opportunities. Around graduation, they sent us job advertisements, and throughout the two years they often shared information about side jobs or volunteer roles. For example, through their support I joined the Michaelhouse Singers choir as an accompanist volunteer for one and a half years. During my studies, I also accompanied an adult with autism in a private home, and a musician with Parkinson’s disease. These were all valuable experiences, and I really appreciated how generous our lecturers were in sharing resources with us.

ARU is also well known for hosting many music therapy events,  like PhD days and conferences. We had the chance to meet scholars from places like Copenhagen or Singapore, as well as some leading figures in the field. The Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) often held lectures in our teaching space, and we were encouraged to join. All of this was very helpful in broadening my perspective and building connections.

What piece of advice would you give to other people studying music therapy?

Try to see the beauty and the potential within yourself. A lot of the things we search for outside, we already have them inside. As therapists, we often think too much. We are professionals and many of us come from high-achieving backgrounds, and we want to do everything perfectly.

For example, I sometimes compare myself with others, like my fellow students who stayed in the UK to work as music therapists, or those in Taiwan who are very successful at promoting their practice. But I've learned that if I can see and admire their success or good qualities, that also means that I have these qualities and potentials too.

It's like the people I admire are the sun and I am the moon. So when the light shines on me, it shows a part of me that is already there. I would say the qualities you admire in others are already in you — they might just not have shown up in the way you expect yet.

What was your favourite thing about studying in Cambridge?

2022 was actually my second time in Cambridge. The first time was back in 2015, when I was 15, joined a summer school to study English in Cambridge. I stayed for a month and completely fell in love with the city. I told myself, ‘If I ever get the chance, I’ll come back.’ And seven years later I did!

What I love most is the balance Cambridge has. It’s diverse but still calm and peaceful. Sometimes London feels a bit overwhelming, and compared with the rest of East Anglia, Cambridge feels much more welcoming and inclusive for international students and people of colour.

I also had the chance to play piano at some private events in different neighbourhoods, which meant I got to know a lot of places to perform. That experience was very meaningful for me — people were so encouraging. Sometimes I played a few gigs andwas able to jammed with other musicians in pubs. One place I especially liked was The Emperor,  and another called The Panton Arms, where they have an Irish trad session every week. There’s even a Google sheet that lists live music in pubs every weekday, so you can always find something different.

What projects are you currently working on, both at work and outside of it?

Outside of work, I’m writing songs and planning to release a mini-album that tells the story of my time in Cambridge. I want to capture everything I experienced over the past two years in that album. I really do love Cambridge!

At work, I wear many hats as a self-employed music therapist. Sometimes I work in clinical settings, with children or with elderlies. Other times I lead workshops for teachers and students, often focusing on stress relief and self-care. I also lecture, giving talks to introduce music therapy to different audiences. On top of all that, I have to be my own promoter — I manage my social media to share my work and spread awareness of music therapy.

I do have plans to leave Taiwan maybe in the near future, because I want to see how music therapy is developed in different countries. I'm preparing for Germany — I am actually learning German and then, let's see how it works out. Maybe I can apply for a job there.