Transforming lives through music: meet the Essex-based social enterprise bringing a community together with the power of sound

At Co-op, our Local Community Fund provides support to local causes across the country. Amelia Clapham, who you’ll be able to spot in our latest TV ad, is the founder of Ace Music Therapy in Essex. Here she explains how Co-op support makes a difference

I set up Ace Music Therapy, a social enterprise that aims to transform lives through music, back in 2017 after qualifying as a music therapist. I’d always been passionate about music, and had played the clarinet and piano from an early age. When I was about eight, I met a child with autism and connected with them on a non-verbal level. It was at that point I felt I had a calling to work with people with additional needs, and in particular people with autism.

Community is at the centre

At Ace Music Therapy, we deliver music therapy and community music sessions to individuals and groups of all ages, from babies right up to the end of life. Alongside adults with chronic health conditions, we also work with children who have been in hospice and hospital care, and use music as a medium to help these children develop communication skills.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy is a type of psychological therapy. As music therapists, we’re all registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, in addition to having a high level of musical training. Our music therapy sessions are client-led, and we tailor our sessions according to our clients’ emotional needs. So, if someone is feeling particularly low for example, we acknowledge that feeling and work to help them process it. Throughout the sessions, we play live music, and use a variety of instruments. Each music therapist has their own specialist instrument to play, plus we have a mixture of instruments to be used in each session.

Making a difference

I’m privileged to be able to witness the difference music therapy makes: I’ve had children say their first word in music therapy, which is incredibly special, and we’ve worked with young adults who have used music therapy to express themselves through writing songs. We also adapt our approach to suit a person’s needs – if someone doesn’t feel comfortable in a group setting, we can also offer one-to-one sessions.  

Co-op support

We became a Co-op local cause in 2021, and the Local Community Fund has allowed us to set up long-Covid group sessions. Funding from Co-op has allowed us to offer support to those with long Covid, and demonstrate the benefits of music therapy with the hope of gaining further funding in the future in partnership with the NHS. We’ve got some brilliant examples of people being able to return to work after attending our long-Covid group.

We’re proud of the work we do and the support we give to the people in our local area and wider Essex, and we want to support as many people as we can. Our long-term vision is to make music therapy as accessible as talking therapy. We also hope to restart our parent and baby group with the next round of funding.

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