In June 2026, a group of 17 graduate and undergraduate students from music therapy and music education programs traveled to Bologna, Italy, for the 18th World Congress of Music Therapy (WCMT). The Global Experiential Learning (GEL) trip was led by Assistant Professor of Music Therapy Maevon Gumble ’27, M.M.T.; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Therapy Musicianship Fredrica Dooley-Brown ’11, ’19, M.M.T., MT-BC; and Director and Professor of Music Education Stephanie Standerfer, Ph.D. While exploring the food capital of Italy, students attended a wide variety of sessions and workshops to deepen their skills as aspiring therapists and educators and explore music therapy on a global level. This year’s WCMT focused on innovation and tradition in clinical practice; music therapy in global and cultural context; networks, relationships, and multidisciplinary work; and music therapy, identity, and relationships. 

Coinciding with this trip, Shenandoah University’s own faculty and alumni presented at the WCMT, including Gumble who co-facilitated dialogue within a session on the international journal Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, and Kerry Devlin ’14, ’17, LPMT, MT-BC, who co-presented sessions on topics related to music therapy in neurology; paediatric music therapy; and liberatory, care-centered pedagogy.