The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the global population of forcibly displaced persons currently stands at 123.2 million at the end of 2024. Forced displacement occurs when people are compelled to leave their homeland for reasons including conflict, oppression, economic and natural crises. It brings with it a range of challenges for those who are displaced. Music and music therapy provide ways of working with those experiencing these complex and sometimes overwhelming experiences. This presentation will explore aspects of such work, using themes of building authentic cultural connections with displaced persons through music therapy, recognizing trauma and its impact on those displaced and those working in this area and what social transformations may occur because of this work. We will also explore whether mechanisms of change identified in music therapy in contemporary literature could be an area of future research in this work.
