Among the ten founding members were Rolando Benenzon (Argentina), Giovanna Mutti (Italy), Jacques Jost (France), Barbara Hesser (USA), Amelia Oldfield (UK), Ruth Bright (Australia), Heinrich Otto Moll (Germany), Rafael Colon (Puerto Rico), Clementina Nastari (Brazil), and Tadeusz Natanson (Poland).
The Federation was formally established during the 5th World Congress of Music Therapy in Genoa, Italy, in 1985.
Anecdotal reports about the beginnings of WFMT as well as the founder’s motivation can be found at the online journal, Voices.
[2][3] WFMT leadership consists of 21 individuals serving in a volunteer capacity as officers, commissioners, or regional liaisons.
The commissioners oversee committees related to one of eight areas: education , clinical practice, global crises intervention, publications, research & ethics, public relations, dei, and world congress organization.
Music therapy professionals and experts in related fields from around the world gather at the congress to share ideas, experiences, trends, and research outcomes.
Genoa, Italy (1985) - Founding of the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) 6.