Amelia Clapham set up a social enterprise 'Ace Music Therapy' to transform as many lives as possible through music.

She graduated from Lancaster with in Music and German Studies in 2008. She always knew she wanted to be a Music Therapist and Lancaster University enabled her to ‘try it out’ as she undertook an enterprise module in Music Therapy during her studies.

After graduating, Amelia spent a year working as a Graduate Assistant at the prestigious Benenden School in Kent. Her main duties included pastoral care, working at bedtimes and planning and running the weekend activity programme, but she also got to do some teaching of both Music and German. Amelia then went on to Anglia Ruskin where she studied for a Master's in Music Therapy, one of only eight universities which offered the subject.

The course was a difficult two years; Amelia describes it as “an emotional rollercoaster” in that it taught psychoanalytic theories as well as a lot about different conditions – learning disabilities, mental health conditions, dementia etc. She also undertook two clinical placements; one at a special school in Northampton and another at St Christopher’s Hospice.

Amelia had always wanted to set up her own music therapy organisation and essentially spread the word about music therapy, showing people there are other options apart from drugs and talking therapies which can transform peoples' lives. In the summer of 2017, Amelia took the plunge and left the company she was working for and decided to go freelance. She set up Ace Music Therapy and was able to set up several music therapy posts within a short space of time.

She now works two days a week at Richard House Children’s Hospice; a half day working with young adults at St Francis Hospice and then works with children and adults with life limiting conditions and mental health issues in their homes for the rest of the week. In January Amelia had developed so much work that she had to take on other therapists - she now has three other music therapists working for Ace Music Therapy, two of them are based in schools and one working with children in hospitals.

Amelia is very proud to have set up Ace Music Therapy and is in the process of making it a Community Interest Company. She is currently working on setting up two projects in Chelmsford, Essex – one with homeless people and another with children and parents of under 5's with special needs. For more information about Amelia’s work visit www.acemusictherapy.co.uk or email info@acemusictherapy.co.uk