Biography

• University of the West of England
• MusicSpace Trust
• Examiner and research supervision
• Editorial positions
• Professional affiliations
• Conferences
• Media
• Grants and awards
• Doctoral research
• University of Bristol
• Music therapy training
• Advanced therapy training
• Early teaching and lecturing
• Early training

 

University of the West of England

In March 2005 Leslie Bunt was invited by the Vice-Chancellor of UWE to be Professor in Music Therapy, the first such position within a university in the UK.

In November 2005 Leslie Bunt oversaw the introduction of the new 'MA in Music Therapy', a 3-year programme with a yearly intake. Also introduced 'Progress to MA' and 'MA in Music Therapeutic Studies' options. In development are plans for creating a certificate route in music and health for other allied health professionals, teachers and community musicians.

MusicSpace Trust

In 1989 Leslie Bunt set up the registered charity The MusicSpace Trust and became its first director.

MusicSpace aims to create a national network of community-based music therapy centres supported by training, research and performance. The first centre opened In Bristol in September 1991. By the end of 2005 over 1350 children and adults were being seen for weekly music therapy sessions by over 50 therapists working in six regions of the country.

As Director Leslie Bunt was responsible for the overall monitoring of the quality of the music therapy service within the branches. He also directed all national and international training on behalf of the Trust as well as running a clinical and supervision practice. The work of MusicSpace is funded through a mixture of statutory contracts grants from charitable trusts, foundations and from private donations.

Examiner and research supervision

• External Examiner to Post-Graduate Diploma in Music Therapy, Anglia Polytechnic University 1994 - 1998
• External Examiner to MA in Art Psychotherapy, University of London (Goldsmiths College) 1994 - 1997 (groups in the UK and in Bologna, Italy)
• External Examiner for Research Degrees: MSc (Keele); MA (The City University, London); and PhDs (Anglia Polytechnic University, City, Reading, Sheffield, Ulster, and the University of Aalborg, Denmark)
• Supervisor for M.Phil and Ph.D degrees, The City University, London, the University of Bristol and UWE
• Member of Advisory Supervision Group for the International Ph.D group, University of Aalborg, Denmark (visits for supervision, teaching PhD group and examining)
• Visiting Professor in Music Therapy at the New Zealand School of Music.

Editorial positions

• Guest Editor - Psychology of Music, a Special Issue on Music Therapy, 1987
• Editorial Board - British Journal of Music Therapy
• Editorial Board - Music Education Research (past member)
• UK Editor of International Editorial Group for the on-line music therapy journal 'Voices'.

Professional affiliations

• Registered Music Therapist (HPC)
• Registered member of the Association of Professional Music Therapists (APMT)
• Approved Clinical Supervisor (APMT)
• Leslie Bunt is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) an invitation resulting from work on the development of community-based music therapy.

Conferences

• 1985 - Invited participant: 2nd International Symposium: Study of Music Therapy, May 20-23, Heidelberg, Germany
• 1988 - UK representative: 39th Annual Conference of the National Association for Music Therapy 'Music Therapy: An International Perspective,' Atlanta, Georgia, November 16-19
• 1990 - UK representative: World Congress of Music Therapy, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 1990 - Guest teacher: Music Therapy Symposium, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 1992 - Invited to open the First European Music Therapy Conference, 'Music Therapy in Health and Education in the European Community' King's College, Cambridge.
• 1993 - Member of International Scientific Committee for the 7th World Congress of Music Therapy, Vitoria, Spain, July 19-23
• 1994 - Keynote address to Music and Disability Conferehe firsttion Conference, Tokyo, Japan
• 1995 - Keynote address to the first joint BSMT/APMT Conference, London.
• 1998 - Address to Music Advisory Service, Jersey.
• 2000 - Keynote address to joint BSMT/APMT Millennium Conference, London.
• 2000 - Keynote address to the New Zealand Society for Music Therapy and lectures to music therapy colleagues at the universities of Brisbane and Melbourne.
• 2002 - Chair of International Scientific Committee to the 10th Music Therapy World Congress, University of Oxford, July 23-28
• 2002 - Inaugural Professorial Lecture at UWE.
• 2003 - Invited guest: Qualitative Research Seminar and Nordic Music Therapy Conference, Bergen, Norway
• 2004 - Presentations at the 6th European Music Therapy Congress at the University of Jyvaskylaa, Finland
• 2004 - Presentation to the 6th GIM Conference in Bulgaria.
• 2005 - Co-organiser with colleagues from Universities of Limerick, Ireland and Aalborg, Denmark, of an EC Social Fund sponsored conference on Music and Health.
• 2006 - Facilitator of the UK organising committee for the 7th European Conference of Guided Imagery and Music.

Media

• BBC documentaries: The Music Child and The Power of Music
• HTV West Documentary on MusicSpace
• Part of series of documentaries about work of the Bristol Cancer Help Centre broadcast in July 2005
• Regular participant in Radio 4 documentaries about aspects of music, music and health and music therapy
• Point of contact by national and local radio for response to music therapy news, e.g. published results of collaborative research in music therapy and cancer care on Radio 4's 'You and Yours'
• Voted by colleagues as the top of a list of ten leading music therapists in the UK for the Independent on Sunday in 2004.

Grants and awards

1989-1991: Awarded grants in the region of £20,000 per annum from Barnwood House Trust (Gloucester) and the Emperor Fine Arts (London) to fund his salary while completing the research study based at the Institute of Child Health, University of Bristol.

Since the late 1980's Leslie Bunt has raised considerable funds to support the development of his charity, The MusicSpace Trust. Funds have been particularly focused on the development of project work. This charity has developed from a small-community based project in Bristol to a major national provider of music therapy. Some of the major grants and awards include:

• Vivien Duffield Foundation
• National Lottery (Community Fund)
• One of the Sainsbury Charitable Trusts
• Triangle Trust
• Lloyds TSB Foundation

Three Section 64 grants from the Department of Health for community-based projects including an award in 2004 spread across three years for a national survey of the provision of music therapy.

In 1997 Leslie Bunt was a finalist for the Guardian Jerwood Award in recognition of his work in running a small to medium sized social welfare charity. MusicSpace now has an annual turnover in the region of £800,000.

Advanced therapy training

From 1995 - 1999 Leslie Bunt trained with the leading American music therapist Dr Kenneth Bruscia in Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) being awarded the Fellowship of the Association for Music and Imagery in 1999 (FAMI).

Doctoral research

The evaluation study based at Charing Cross Hospital formed the basis of Leslie Bunt's MPhil study within the Department of Music, The City University London. This was converted to a PhD study in 1980.

1980: Appointed Research Fellow in Music Therapy, The City University, London, a 3-year staff position and the first such fellowship within a British University. The research was the UK's first outcome-based study in music therapy and evaluated music therapy for pre-school and school children with special needs using descriptive ethological methods and detailed video and statistical analysis.

1985: Awarded the first PhD in music therapy in the UK. The principal external examiner was Prof. Joan Bicknell, Professor in Disability, University of London. The examiners requested a few minor typographical changes to be made and wanted the award to be given 'with commendation' should the regulations have allowed.

This sustained period of study (1978 - 1985) positioned Leslie Bunt as the UK's pioneering researcher in the field of music therapy. His reputation also began to grow nationally and internationally as an experienced clinician working with children and as a trainer and research supervisor.

He was invited to be Chairman of the British Society for Music Therapy (BSMT) and a Governor of the Music Therapy Charity. Later he would become a Vice-President of the BSMT and a member of the Advisory Council to the Professional Association.

While at City University Leslie Bunt was also conductor of the University Chamber Choir.

University of Bristol

Jan 1992 - to December 2006 Course Director, Music Therapy Post-Graduate Diploma in Music Therapy, University of Bristol (groups in Bristol and from 1995 in Bologna, Italy)

Sept 1989 - Sept 1991 Research Study - 'A community-based music therapy service for Bristol' based at the Institute of Child Health under the direction of Prof. David Baum. Responsible for securing funding for this study.

Awarded honorary titles as Research Fellow in Music and Research Fellow in Child and Mental Health, University of Bristol.

Music therapy training

Experiences of teaching children with difficulties led to training in music therapy with pioneering music therapist Juliette Alvin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. Awarded the Licentiate of the Guildhall School in music therapy - LGSM (MT) - in 1977.

September 1977: Invited by the consultant paediatrician Dr Hugh Jolly to be locum music therapist at the Child Development Centre (CDC), Charing Cross Hospital, London, the internationally-renowned centre for the assessment and treatment of children with special needs.

September 1978 - July 1980: Appointed Research Fellow in Paediatrics, Charing Cross Medical School to carry out an action-based evaluation study on the role of music therapy within the special schools and nursery units within the Borough of Hammersmith (funded by the National Medical Research Fund, Bristol).

Early teaching and lecturing

• 1978: Invited to take music therapy students from the Guildhall School on placement at the CDC, Charing Cross Hospital.
• 1980: Invited by Juliette Alvin to take over her class at the Guildhall School. Continued to teach on this, the oldest music therapy training in the country, until December 1993.
• 1982: Invited by Juliette Alvin to represent her at a conference on music for children with emotional problems held in Assisi, the beginnings of a long connection with Italy.
• 1981: Tutor, Music Therapy Post-Graduate Diploma Course, Southlands College, Roehampton Institute, London (until December 1983).

Early training

• BA (Hons Music) University of Bristol 1973
• Post-graduate Certificate in Education (Music) at the University of Exeter, 1974
• 1975 - 1976: Head of Music, Royal Liberty School Romford, responsible for music throughout this comprehensive school including: 'A' and 'O' - level teaching; running school choirs and instrumental groups and managing an assistant and peripatetic instrumental teachers.