Introduction
Our 2025/2026 Annual Report is a chance to look back on the year and share some of the people, stories and moments that show the difference music therapy can make.
From April 2025 to March 2026, we continued to support people of all ages across health, education, care and community settings. We’ve also continued to learn, adapt and find new ways to share our knowledge and make music therapy more accessible.
We have included some of the highlights from across our five programmes of care, alongside the stories that bring our work to life.
Our Year in Numbers
Regions Covered
- South East51.3%
- London16.2%
- East of England15.4%
- East Midlands10.3%
- Yorkshire and Humber3.4%
- South West2.6%
- West Midlands0.9%
Reasons for Referral
- Relationships and engagement25.8%
- Social, emotional and mental health23.7%
- Communication and social skills21.6%
- Sensory and processing needs9.1%
- Self-expression8.4%
- Cognition and development5.6%
- Love of music4.6%
- Motor skills1.3%
Our Organisation Strategy
Chiltern Music Therapy is a Community Interest Company, delivering professional music therapy across England and online. As a not-for-profit organisation, we reinvest in our work so that more people can access high-quality music therapy in the settings where they live, learn and receive care.
Our long-term goal is for music therapy to be available to everyone who could benefit from it. To work towards this, we focus on building a sustainable organisation and supporting the growth and development of our Music Therapists and community musicians.
Our guiding mission
“To strive for a caring world where music therapy is the transformative thread in everyday life. Together we harness the power of music, inspire through human story and fascinate through science to light up a network of champions.”
Areas of Care and Their Impact
Acute Care
The goal of our acute care programme is to provide immediate support to clients during critical times of need, usually within hospital settings.
Service Spotlight: Supporting Babies and Families in Neonatal Care
2025/26 was the second year of our music therapy service at the Whittington Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, funded by BBC Children in Need. Music Therapist Amanda Dickson works closely with nurses, consultants and other healthcare professionals, with babies referred for support with areas including regulation, settling and parent–infant interaction.
Between May 2025 and February 2026, Amanda delivered 145 sessions to 82 babies across the neonatal intensive care, high dependency and special care baby units.
For one family whose baby was born at just 25 weeks, music therapy offered a way to connect during an incredibly difficult time. Amanda helped the baby’s mother create a personalised lullaby which included their older child, who was unable to visit the ward. In a later session, both parents sang and hummed while their baby was held, with visible signs of relaxation as their mother began to sing.
“I think it is amazing… having music played calms the family members, thus de-stressing the babies as well. And all of this will lead to improved developmental outcomes of babies.”
Development and Rehabilitation Care
Our Development and Rehabilitation Care programme supports people to develop skills, maximise their potential and recover following illness, injury or trauma.
Service Spotlight: Specialist Neurologic Music Therapy® at Badby Park Hospital
At Badby Park Hospital, our Neurologic Music Therapist works as part of the multidisciplinary team, supporting people with a range of neurological conditions.
In one example, joint work with a Speech and Language Therapist supported a patient with a tracheostomy to improve respiratory function and vocal production. Across 8 sessions, the patient was able to tolerate their valve for increasing periods of time, while familiar songs from their home country helped support motivation and engagement.
Music Therapy in a Specialist SEND School
At a specialist SEND school in Yorkshire, music therapy supports pupils with complex needs to communicate, connect and express themselves through sound, movement, vocalisation and instruments.
For one pupil with profound and multiple learning disabilities, music therapy has provided a consistent space for communication and regulation. Staff have observed that she is more relaxed and settled after sessions, and music therapy has now been recommended for inclusion in her EHCP.
Connecting Online After Stroke
We also launched a new online music therapy group for people living with aphasia, creating a relaxed space to communicate, connect with others and make music from home. Watch Kate’s story to hear about her experience of aphasia and the difference the group has made to her.
Watch Kate’s story on YouTubeContinuing Care
Our Continuing Care programme supports people over the medium and longer term, helping them maintain wellbeing, connection and quality of life.
Supporting Wellbeing in Care Homes
Across two care homes in Surrey, our Music Therapist delivered 173 individual and 213 group sessions, supporting 64 residents during the year. Music therapy can offer opportunities for connection, communication and meaningful engagement, particularly for people living with dementia or those who may be feeling isolated.
Progress is measured using the Music in Dementia Assessment Scales (MiDAS), alongside feedback from residents, families and staff. Overall, the results showed increased engagement and participation during sessions.
“Thank you for your music and your empathy. I think what you do here is miraculous.”
Music Therapy in Children’s Hospice Care
At Helen & Douglas House Children’s Hospice, music therapy supports children and young people with life-limiting conditions to connect, express themselves and experience moments of enjoyment and calm, while also supporting their families. During 2025/26, 59 children and young people accessed music therapy at the hospice.
“The music therapy was personally tailored to her and her entire face lit up.”
Preventative Care
Our Preventative Care programme aims to help people stay connected, reduce isolation and maintain wellbeing through regular opportunities to make music with others.
Community at the Heart of Our Work
As a Community Interest Company, creating social impact is at the heart of what we do. Alongside our clinical services, our community groups provide accessible opportunities for people to connect, take part in music and feel part of something.
Across 2025/26, our community programme included Silver Singers, Let’s Sing online, Jamming Groups and Safe in Sound for people living with dementia and their carers.
Our Chiltern Cares approach is built around five themes:
- Connection
- Wellbeing
- Relationship building
- Empowerment
- Self-expression
These five themes reflect what sits at the heart of our community work.
In June 2025, our Community Voices afternoon brought members of several groups together for an afternoon of singing, percussion and shared music-making, creating a strong sense of belonging across the wider Chiltern community.
Sing to Beat Parkinson’s Group
Our weekly Sing to Beat Parkinson’s group in Bath continues to provide music therapy, friendship and a regular sense of connection for people living with Parkinson’s. For one member, Mark*, the group is one of his few regular activities outside the home. Music and rhythm can help when he experiences freezing, while singing, drumming and spending time with friends brings enjoyment, laughter and a sense of independence.
*Name changed for confidentiality.
Read more in the full reportDisseminative Care
Our Disseminative Care programme is about sharing knowledge, learning and expertise so that the impact of music therapy can reach beyond our direct services.
Sharing Learning More Widely
During 2025/26, we continued to deliver live training and CPD for Music Therapists and other professionals, including sessions on the Music Therapy Outcomes Star™, neurodiversity-affirming practice and supporting people living with dementia.
One of the biggest developments of the year was the launch of our Learning Space, giving people access to self-led online courses and practical resources at a time and pace that works for them. The platform has helped us share learning from across Chiltern’s clinical practice with Music Therapists, teachers, care professionals and others who want to understand more about music therapy.
We also developed our Chiltern Shares series, creating practical learning opportunities for Music Therapists, freelancers and smaller music therapy organisations on areas such as communication, sustainable practice, professional responsibilities and workplace dynamics. Alongside this, we shared our expertise more widely through a Social Prescribing Day in South London and webinars for Case Managers, helping other professionals understand how music therapy can support people across health, care and community settings.
Contributing to the Wider Profession
Our Music Therapist Jim Davey-Hewins also co-authored an article in the British Journal of Music Therapy exploring sustainable behaviours within the profession, including climate anxiety, reflective practice and sustainability in work with service users.
Read more in the full reportSupporting and Sustaining Our Impact
Inclusion
Insights Service User Group
Inclusion continues to shape how we develop as an organisation. During 2025/26, our Insights Service User Group brought lived-experience perspectives into a range of areas across Chiltern, including governance, recruitment, digital resources and online music therapy services.
Members met with our Board of Directors to explore how service users could have a stronger voice in organisational decision-making. They also helped us think about how to make information and resources clearer and more accessible, and reviewed recruitment materials to identify barriers around language, layout, transparency and inclusion.
Just as importantly, members spoke about feeling respected, safe and valued within the group, and about the sense of purpose that came from being able to contribute and connect with others.
Ethical and Responsible Practice
We also introduced a voluntary Modern Slavery Statement and dedicated policy during the year, reflecting our wider commitment to ethical and responsible practice.
Read more in the full reportEnvironmental Sustainability
38.6% reduction in our carbon footprint since 2022/23
In 2025/26, we continued to reduce our environmental impact, with our carbon footprint falling to 24.05 tCO₂e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). That is a 38.6% reduction from our 2022/23 baseline. Much of this progress has come through reducing staff travel, alongside greater use of public transport, cycling and lower-emission vehicles. We’ve also continued to look at the wider impact of how we work, including our investments and digital carbon footprint.
- 38%reduction in travel-related emissions
- 28,000fewer miles travelled
- 3.41kgCO₂e per session
- Continued work on ethical finance and our digital footprint
Fundraising
Fundraising continues to play an important role in helping us develop and sustain services that would be difficult to fund in other ways, particularly our community work.
During 2025/26, we were grateful for support from a number of trusts and foundations, including the Hollyhock Foundation, Rothschild Foundation, Douglas McMinn Charitable Fund and Quartet Community Foundation. Their support has helped us develop services across South London, Buckinghamshire and Bath, as well as supporting online and individual music therapy.
We’ve also been very grateful for the support of local schools, choirs, community groups, businesses and individual donors, whose fundraising and donations help us continue reaching people in their own communities.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported our work during the year.
Read more in the full reportLooking to the Future
This year our Music Therapists and community musicians worked with more than 1500 people in a wide range of different settings, from neonatal units and stroke wards to special schools, care homes and community groups. Last autumn we launched Chiltern Online, enabling us to reach even more people through our online training and service offering.
We know it’s a tough time for many of the organisations we work with. Budgets are tight, demand keeps growing, and the music therapy profession is feeling the strain too, with fewer therapists qualifying and more stepping back. We think that makes what we do more important than ever.
We’re very lucky to have the support of some wonderful funders who you’ll have read about earlier in the report. Thank you all. Your support means we can reach people who would otherwise miss out. Over the coming year we’ll be growing our community offer so that cost isn’t a barrier to joining in. We’ll also be working more closely with the hospitals, schools and care homes we support, sharing clearer evidence of the difference sessions make.
We want to say a big thank you to everyone who works for Chiltern Music Therapy. Our Music Therapists and community musicians are the reason families, schools and care homes keep asking for us. Our operational team keeps Chiltern running, and our directors and members have given a lot of their own time to guide us through a difficult year. Thank you.
And we’ll keep doing what Chiltern has always done, standing up for Music Therapists. As an employee-owned organisation we employ our practitioners directly, help newly qualified Therapists find their feet, and offer supervision and training to the wider profession. We’re looking forward to sharing more of their work with you soon!
Interested to read the full report?
For more information about this report, please contact: info@chilternmusictherapy.co.uk