Daphne Joan Rickson is a New Zealand

music therapist Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music ...

and academic, and until 2021 was a lecturer at the

New Zealand School of Music The New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (NZSM) at Victoria University of Wellington is located in Wellington, New Zealand. It provides a tertiary teaching faculty with programmes in classical and jazz performance, music studies, composition, ...

. She has contributed to the field of music therapy nationally and internationally. In 2022 she was appointed an Officer of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

for services to music therapy. In 2023 Rickson received the World Federation of Music Therapy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Academic career

Rickson was born in Ashburton in Canterbury, New Zealand. She earned an LCTL in pianoforte and theory, and then completed a Master's degree in mental health at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

. Rickson notes that when she qualified and began working as a music therapist in the 1990s, there were "only a handful of us in the country". Rickson went on to complete a Master's degree in music therapy at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in 2004 and then a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

titled ''The development of a music therapy school consultation protocol for students with high or very high special education needs'' at the

(NZSM). Her PhD, completed in 2010, was the first doctoral degree in music therapy in New Zealand. Rickson joined the faculty of the NZSM. She helped develop a master's programme for music therapy, which began in 2003. Rickson retired from the New Zealand School of Music in 2021, having taught over 100 postgraduate students, and retains adjunct professor status. Rickson served on the national council of Music Therapy New Zealand, and from 1997 to 2002 was chair, and from 2008 until 2012 was president. She is President Emeritus and a life member of Music Therapy New Zealand. She is the Australasian Regional Liaison for the World Federation of Music Therapy Council. Rickson's research focuses on people with complex needs, and how to use music to enable greater community participation for marginalised children and adults. She investigated how singing could be used to enhance well-being in Christchurch after the

earthquakes An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...

. She has written more than forty publications and co-authored a book on community music therapy through schools, as well as publishing a history of music therapy in New Zealand.

Honours and awards

In the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music therapy. In 2023 Rickson received the World Federation of Music Therapy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected works

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References

External links

Podcast interview of Daphne Rickson
by music therapist Luke Annesley, British Association for Music Therapy, 16 March 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rickson, Daphne New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of Victoria University of Wellington Massey University alumni Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People from Ashburton, New Zealand Music therapists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people