HAMPSHIRE MUSICSPACE
- Therapists -

  Hampshire MusicSpace Therapists

Biographies from some of the Music Therapy team:

Veronica Austin
Diane Byrne
Owain Clarke
Karen Hutchinson
Veronica Launn
Debbie Mellors
Louise Neale
Beccy Read
Cathy Rowland
Amelia Warlow
Leigh Warren-Thomas
Susannah Wettone

Veronica Austin
After working for three years as a music teacher in mainstream primary and secondary schools Veronica retrained as a music therapist  qualifying from the  Roehampton Institute, London , in 1986. Subsequently she spent  12 years  working primarily as a music therapist but also as music support teacher for Surrey Youth Music and Performing Arts in  schools for children with a wide range of special needs . She also   worked privately as a flute teacher for some of this time. Veronica gained her MA in music therapy from Roehampton in October 1999 and registered supervisor status with the association of professional music therapists in April 2003.  She was a  visiting lecturer on the Roehampton University  music therapy course in the same year. Veronica has supported Hampshire MusicSpace on it’s management committee since it began nine years ago.  For 6 years she worked as a music therapist at a school in Farnham and is still working for HMS at Treloars School  in Alton. Since September 2006 Veronica has returned to become a visiting lecturer on the Music Therapy course at Roehampton, and is building up a supervision practice. Veronica also  very much enjoys playing the flute and performing in the Zephyr Wind Quartet.

Owain Clarke
after several years of teaching music to children with behavioural difficulties, Owain decided to train as a music therapist, and completed the Bristol course in 2001. He has worked from then until recently in the fields of child and adult learning disability, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight . His work is info rmed by a humanistic model, amongst others. Owain performs as harpist with the harp and tabla duo "Tant", and plays bass for Latin Jazz combo "Bossa Rio". In all his music making he tries to remember pianist Abdullah Ibrahim's maxim "Music isn't a form of entertainment - it's a form of healing." 'Tant' wowed the delegates of the HMS Conference 2006 by providing subtle, yet inspiring and highly appropriate lunchtime music.

Karen Hutchinson
Following a Psychology degree Karen studied Music Therapy on the Roehampton course, and qualified in 1996. She immediately began working for Hampshire MusicSpace, and has done so ever since! Her work has been with both children and adults, from nursery age up, with both individuals and groups. Her main instruments are the piano and clarinet, and she has also been learning the trumpet. She is currently working 1 day per week whilst she looks after her toddler.

Veronica Launn
Veronica graduated from the University of Southampton with a music degree in 2001 and then studied for my Diploma in Music Therapy at the University of Bristol. She qualified as a music therapist in 2004. Currently she  works with children who have profound and multiple disabilities, learning difficulties. Most of her other time is spent running around and organising her four children, all of whom love and enjoy music as much as she does!

Louise Neale

Beccy Read
Beccy qualified as a music therapist from the first yeart that there was a course at Roehampton - 1982. Also in 1982 she set up the first music therapy post in Hampshire, at a long-stay 'hospital' for adults with learning difficulties and challenging needs, and has continued to pioneer the setting-up of work in Hampshire ever since. Through her work in several schools, her promotional workshops, her supervising some students on the first intake of the Bristol music therapy course and co-ordinating a local therapists support group, Hampshire MusicSpace was born. She has co-ordinated it's work since it became a branch in 1996, and now there are 10 therapists working part-time throughout the county and beyond. Her therapy work is presently at The Loddon School near Basingstoke for children on the ASD spectrum and those with challenging needs, and an evening advocacy group for adults with moderate learning difficulties. She is married to composer and music lecturer Martin Read has 2 music-mad sons, and they live in Winchester with their 2 non-musical cats.

Cathy Rowland
Cathy has worked extensively in the field of learning difficulties since qualifying as a music therapist. She has worked for HMS since 1997 and has worked with both children and adults with various congenital conditions, as well as those with autism and additional sensory impairments. She currently works for HMS at Independence Homes, near Croydon, with adults who have epilepsy and learning difficulties. She lives in Brighton .

Amelia Warlow
Following a Music Degree at Anglia Polytechnic University, and Postgraduate Certificate in Performance at Trinity College of Music, London, Amelia began teaching, performing, running workshops in Special Schools and supervising on childrens music courses. In 2001 she began studying for a Music Therapy Diploma at Roehampton. Since qualifying, she has worked with a variety of different client groups. These have included children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, adults with learning disabilities, and since joining Hampshire MusicSpace, children at a Pupil Referral Unit and adults with such conditions as Juvenile Battens Disease and Cerebral Palsy. Amelia also enjoys playing regularly with two string quartets (one on violin and the other on viola) as well as instrumental teaching along with her Music Therapy work.

Leigh Warren-Thomas
Following a music degree at Southampton University and having gained some experience as a learning support assistant, Leigh qualified as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2002. She initially worked with privately referred clients in London , then joined the HMS team in February 2003. Leigh works in a variety of community settings, offering therapy to children and adults with learning difficulties, profound and multiple disabilities, autism and challenging needs. Leigh’s leisure time also has a strong musical flavour – she enjoys composing and improvisation, and sings with a chamber choir in Winchester .

Susannah Wettone
Susannah Wettone trained as a music therapist at Anglia Polytechnic University, graduating in 1999. She worked full-time in a school with children and adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. During this time she undertook group and individual music therapy and in 2002 was awarded an MA in Music Therapy which featured her work in this setting. She joined Hampshire MusicSpace in January 2004 and her work with HMS has spanned a variety of client groups and settings, including adults with learning difficulties, cerebral palsy, degenerative disorders and dementia and children with physical disabilities and emotional and behavioural difficulties. Susannah Co-ordinated the APMT Education Group from 2001 – 2004. She is a clarinettist and pianist, and enjoys taking part in choral singing and chamber music in her spare time. Susannah is currently on maternity leave.