On 9 December 2024, the Barbara & Jürg Klopfenstein-Kubli Scholarship was awarded to Lea Gersl as part of the workshop concert by students of the Music Therapy training programme. The scholarship, donated by Barbara & Jürg Klopfenstein-Kubli and awarded for the third time by the Fondation ZHdK, honours Master's theses at the ZHdK that contribute to the further development of music therapy.
Award winner Lea Gersl is a graduate of the MAS in Clinical Music Therapy programme. She was honoured for her Master's thesis submitted in June 2024 entitled Musiktherapie in der Regelschule. Children with externalising and internalising behavioural problems in music therapy.
In it, Lea Gersl sheds light on music therapy interventions and the development of the expressive and communicative behaviour of the participating children. The study provides interesting and relevant results on the multi-perspective reflected development of the children with regard to their expressive and communicative behaviour and their self-esteem. The diverse and inspiring catalogue of interventions for music therapy practice with children is also worth mentioning. The study is embedded in an international research project and draws on the many years of support for research networking provided by the former head of the study programme and mentor of this work, Dr Sandra Lutz Hochreutener.
This year's Barbara & Jürg Klopfenstein-Kubli Scholarship honours both the carefully conducted Master's thesis and supports the author's future academic commitment to the further development of music therapy. The specialist field Music Therapy congratulates on the award.