Musikmesse Goes for Therapy

Messe Frankfurt and the German Music Therapy Society (DMtG) will hold the ‘New Therapy Instruments’ competition at Musikmesse 2019.

Instrument makers, artists and music therapists are invited to develop and implement ideas for new instruments and sounds. The awards ceremony will be held during Musikmesse in April 2019. The award is worth €2,000.

The competition will honour not only hand-crafted therapy instruments but also new digital applications, such as music apps. The condition for inclusion is that the products are suitable for use and helpful in one or more of the many areas of music therapy. They can be developments that are easy to employ, that have a special simulative nature, trigger impressive experiences or offer easier access to music for people with impairments.

Michael Biwer, group show director of the Entertainment, Media & Creative Industries Business Unit of Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH: “Musikmesse is always open to new topics and product groups. In recent years, we have provided a platform for music therapy and its methods, and we want to expand this commitment in the future. The ‘New Therapy Instrument’ competition is an important step in this direction and we are particularly pleased that the renowned German Music Therapy Society has agreed to partner us in organising it and thus position the subject prominently at the fair.”

Volker Bernius of the DMtG Board of Management: “From inclusion work to neurology: the use of music-therapy instruments is multifarious and new products, from which music therapists can profit, are continuously being developed. Our aim is to draw attention to this broad spectrum at Musikmesse. With the new competition, we also aim to boost innovation in the sector and make a contribution to the promotion of future-oriented projects.”

An expert jury of music therapists, musicians and instrument makers will select the most successful works from the entries. Decisive for the judging are criteria such as originality, design, ease of use and potential for therapeutic use.

The deadline for receipt of prototypes, including product information, is 31 January 2019. Full details about entries can be found at www.musiktherapie.de/verband/instrumentenwettbewerb.