About me

HOLLY ROBINSON is a classically trained folk/traditional musician who first picked up a violin aged 5.

From the age of 15 she was playing regularly in orchestras and ceilidh bands and now has more than 30 years’ experience of performing in venues big and small. 

Her main instruments are violin, 5-string violin and octave violin, though she also plays whistle, guitar and many others in her work as a music therapist.

She has experience of a wide range of music genres, but her first introduction to music was from her parents's folk music roots, learning predomenently English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh traditional folk tunes and songs, and developing an interest in European and Amercian repertoire in more recent years. 

Following nearly two decades as a journalist and newspaper editor, Holly decided to follow her passion for music and also her interest in the powerful impact it can have on health and wellbeing.

After a two year break working as a full-time musician, she decided to embark on the rigorous training required to become a music therapist, gaining her MA in Music Therapy from the University of South Wales. She studied a three-year course while working alongside children and adults with additional needs in therapeutic behaviour support, tutor, and play roles.

Holly is registered as a music therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (legally required to work as a music therapist) and is a member of the British Association of Music Therapists.  She has also undergone additional training for the designiation Neurologic Music Therapist and is an affilitate of the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy.

She has a particular interest in the role of music in well-being (undertaking additional training in the use of mindfulness in therapeutic settings) and also sensorimotor approaches to reparative and restorative healing through the expressive arts with training in trauma informed practices and the connection between mind and body. She often incorporates art, movement and other expressive art forms in her work.

Holly has experience working with a wide range of client groups, both adults and children, including autism, dementia, anxiety, palliative care, additional learning needs, physical disabilities, and those with emotional and behavoural needs.

A large portion of her work looks at how music can help with the brain as well as building confidence, self expression, autonomy and finding your voice. She is also passionate about the contribution music can make to emotional well-being when dealing with stress, burnout, depression and anxiety.