As an example of local leadership, Tako’s story encapsulates the way we are always looking to entrust the development and delivery of our activities to people with the right skills and experience.
Tako Jordania’s meaningful relationship with music started at the age of 18, when she began working as a music teacher in a local kindergarten. It was there that Tako first gained an insight into the power of music; how it helped both herself and others.
The process is two-way: You help others through the music and you are helped by the music, just as the music helps you and mediates between you and the recipient of therapy.
Building on this early experience, Tako went on to train as a music therapist, and has since gone on to publish four therapeutic books and give lectures on music therapy.
Tako then first came into contact with Music as Therapy International in 2021, when her involvement delivering online music therapy sessions for a USAID project came to the attention of our director, Alexia.
Our first interaction saw Tako joined remotely in her practice by Advisory Panel member Jenny Laahs, where she received supervision for her work – something Tako saw as an invaluable opportunity:
It is important to share knowledge and constantly learn at all stages of life, however it is not always easy if you do not have the right people around you who support you and are ready to change the world for the better with you. I was very lucky to find myself under the wing of an organisation like Music as Therapy International
Our positive partnership eventually led to an on-site skill-sharing project in May 2022, delivered at Open House in Kutaisi, Georgia – a centre providing care and support to around 300 children, most of whom have developmental delays or autistic spectrum disorders.
Although we had received a request for training at Open House in 2019, due to COVID-related disruption, the project was delayed, giving us the chance to entrust delivery to Tako and support local music therapy practice.
When the possibility of working with a new local partner at Open House centre in the city of Kutaisi came up, Tako was the perfect person to take on the role.
Jenny Laahs
Music therapist & Advisory Panel member
Tako has continued her work at the mental health center GAMMA, the child and adolescent rehabilitation centre Puzzle as a music therapist and trainer, and at World Vision Georgia.
As testament to her vision and confidence, in 2022 Tako travelled to Armenia, where she met therapists from different countries and was involved in three months of training and two months of supervision. As with her work with us in Georgia, this experience served to reaffirm her belief in the enduring power of shared musical experiences, something that continues to motivate her today.
You may not speak the same language, but through music and body language it is possible to communicate and move towards a goal in unison.
