BRIT Trust Diaries: Emma Banks from Nordoff and Robbins

Emma Banks reflects on her first year as Chair of Nordoff and Robbins

In this edition of the BRIT Trust Diaries, Emma Banks, music agent and co-head of CAA's London office/co-head of Global Touring, takes a look back on her first year as Chair of music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins, outlines the charity’s new five-year strategy, sets the stage for this year’s O2 Silver Clef Awards, and discusses why support from the music industry is needed now more than ever…

As the UK’s largest music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins works tirelessly to help transform the lives of thousands of people through the power of music.

Every day, I am reminded that music can be a lifeline for so many. From helping an autistic child like Rosa find confidence, to supporting a teenager such as Ruby in working through mental health challenges to the extent that Ruby’s mum said music therapy saved her life, all the way to giving someone like Marie, who lives with dementia, a chance to unlock memories and find connection in a life that can often feel isolated. Music therapy transcends language and physical ability, helping people from all walks of life to truly express themselves.

Like many of my music industry peers, I have supported this fantastic cause for many years now, serving on various event committees for over twenty years, the Board of Trustees for four years and most recently took on the position of Chair in May 2024. 

Following in the footsteps of David Munns OBE and the remarkable work he did to help the charity grow in his 13 years as Chair is no small task. It took David and my fellow trustees a while to convince me to take on the role of Chair, but I am thrilled to be doing it. The reason that I feel so passionately about the charity is because what we do, the therapy that we offer, works. My career in the music industry has been incredibly fulfilling in so many ways and to be able to give back by helping those less fortunate than I am, through music, just makes perfect sense to me.

We must be very proud that the music industry put this charity together and have funded it for the last fifty years. What we are doing is more relevant than ever and we need to be proud of the heritage, but more importantly we all need to commit to continuing the long-term success of Nordoff and Robbins so that the isolated in our society can flourish through the power of music. 

Last year alone, Nordoff and Robbins supported 16,979 people with 54,654 music therapy sessions, working alongside 391 organisations such as care homes, school and hospitals to provide music therapy across the UK. While this is an incredible achievement, the demand for music therapy continues to rise.

To help meet this demand, the charity’s new strategy focuses on working with the wider ‘music for health’ ecosystem. We want to see music therapy firmly established as a recognised, integrated and accessible form of health care.

To achieve this, we are developing a sustainable ecosystem of music therapists and quality services for the future, making sure we have a robust and diverse pipeline of talent through our Master of Music Therapy (MMT) programme; investing in musical training informed by the ‘Nordoff and Robbins approach’ for teachers, carers and parents; and using our influence in, and adding to, conversations within music and health policy spaces.

Nordoff and Robbins CEO Sandra Schembri was recently appointed Chair of the Power of Music Consortium, a cross-sector coalition advocating for the use of music for health and wellbeing, that delivered the groundbreaking Power of Music report in 2022. This is another step in the right direction of achieving what’s been set out in the new strategy. However, none of this invaluable work comes without a price.

It costs over £8 million a year for Nordoff and Robbins to reach thousands of people and provide music therapy sessions. With no direct government funding, fundraising is crucial to the financial sustainability, growth and ultimately, survival of the charity.

This is where you, our friends in the music industry, can help.

Your support can help transform thousands of lives through music. You can fundraise by taking part in events like Music Mudder, horse-racing and golf days, sponsoring awards or partnering with the charity to bring its work to new audiences, or by simply becoming a regular donor. We need a committed income stream that we can rely upon, so that we can continue training music therapists and make sure that anyone can have music therapy if it will help them.

There are plenty of rewarding ways to get involved and give the gift of music to people living with disability, illness or facing isolation. If you think you can help, please get in touch with me or any of the Nordoff team, we would love to hear from you.

On the evening of Wednesday 2 July, the O2 Silver Clef Awards will once again see the music industry join together at the Grosvenor in London to celebrate music icons including David Gilmour, while raising funds for Nordoff and Robbins.

There are limited tables remaining, so book now and join us for what is set to be a spectacular evening (and don’t forget your cheque book!). 

It’s not just the O2 Silver Clef Awards that support the work of Nordoff and Robbins. We are grateful beneficiaries of funds granted to us by The BRIT Trust and raised by long standing ceremonies including the BRIT Awards and the MITS. Late last year, we celebrated the BRIT Trust passing the phenomenal landmark of having awarded grants totalling more than £30 million to various charities since its foundation by the UK record labels and the BPI in 1989.

Let’s be clear. Music therapy is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is a necessity.

We are aiming high and pushing for music therapy to become an essential health and social care service across the UK.

The work of this amazing charity shows that music goes beyond entertainment. It is a lifeline, and that is something we should all want to protect, preserve and cultivate for future generations.

PLEASE support us and the breadth of vital work of Nordoff and Robbins. Contact us here.