USW graduate becomes Isle of Man's first music therapist

When Heather Daykin graduates with an MA in Music Therapy from the University of South Wales (USW) this week, she won't just be celebrating a personal achievement. She becomes the Isle of Man's first qualified music therapist, bringing a new form of therapy to her community.

After three years of balancing study with work, family life and more than 27,000 miles of travel, Heather is now preparing to establish music therapy services on the island, where she hopes to improve access to mental health support for people of all ages.

Heather, who worked as a teacher for over 10 years before retraining, said she was motivated by the needs of her community.

She said: “We, as a community, need more mental health support. Access to therapeutic options beyond talking therapies is limited, and we have high levels of mental health referrals. Research suggests that living on an island can increase feelings of isolation, and, whilst it’s something our health service is actively looking at, I wanted to be part of the solution.”

Her ambition to train was reinforced after she experienced partial paralysis following what doctors believe was a complication of COVID-19.

"I was in a wheelchair for around ten months and had to learn to walk again," she said. "There's nothing like a major life experience like that to make you rethink everything.”

Moving away to study was never an option. Heather and her husband have two young children, and she wanted to remain on the Isle of Man while training.

"If you're going to train to be part of your community, leaving your community to do it defeats the point,” she said.

USW's Music Therapy training is the UK's only blended learning course, designed to broaden access to the profession. It allowed Heather to complete her clinical placements on the island while travelling to campus every fortnight during term time.

Over three years she completed 82 flights, more than 110 train journeys and travelled 27,321 miles, while continuing to teach, running her own business, and raising her family.

"I'm hugely grateful to my lecturers for finding a way to deliver these courses that is actually accessible to people," she said. "Without that way of training, I simply wouldn't have been able to do it."

Heather said the support she received from across the Isle of Man was instrumental in making her studies possible. Before applying, she met with healthcare organisations to ensure there would be a need for music therapy, and their backing helped her secure more than £20,000 in funding from charities, trusts, local businesses, and community organisations to cover course fees and travel expenses.

“I think it represents that people here recognised there was a need,” she said.

"My husband has been a godsend in all of this, but everyone around us helped to make life work when travel plans had to change. My training happened because people got behind it."

Throughout her training, Heather completed placements supporting children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties and hospice patients and their families, including people living with dementia and bereaved relatives. She also developed community music projects, including a weekly ‘singing for wellbeing’ programme at a hospice and group music sessions for adults with learning disabilities.

"Music therapy spans birth to bereavement and everything in between," she said. "We're not reliant on someone's ability to communicate verbally. Music can help people communicate and express things they can't always put into words."

Heather believes the Isle of Man's rich musical heritage has also helped people embrace the idea of music therapy.

"We're an immensely musical island," she said. "Music is a huge part of our culture. Manx music is so wonderful and rich, and there are so many musical groups and organisations. When I went to people and said I wanted to use music to improve people's health and wellbeing, their response was simply, 'Why wouldn't you?'"

Heather also credits music with helping her own recovery.

"When I was learning to walk again, I used music to help my gait," she said. "In a way, I'm a client of music therapy myself."

Graduating with distinction, Heather has already established herself as a private practitioner and is now working to secure long-term support for music therapy services across the Isle of Man.

Her achievements have also been recognised internationally. Heather has been awarded one of just ten scholarships worldwide from the World Federation of Music Therapy, enabling her to attend the organisation's international conference in Bologna later this month.

"The work really starts now," she said. "It's about helping people understand what music therapy can offer and building a sustainable service for the island."

Looking ahead, Heather hopes she will not remain the island's only music therapist for long.

"Now I'm the first, there are others hoping to do the same. Hopefully we can build a team and bring music therapy to many more people across the Isle of Man."