Dr Hyunah Cho

Profile

I am specialising in Music Therapy. My research discipline is located at the intersection of music therapy, education, medical anthropology, and medical ethnomusicology. Drawing on a cross-disciplinary perspective, my doctoral project investigated how one’s culture worked on music therapy experiences.

As an experienced health specialist, I have worked with a range of individuals and groups, including children, young people, and the elderly to encourage holistic wellbeing (as a registered music therapist, New Zealand /South Korea, and clinical psychotherapist, South Korea, since 2013). I helped Juvenile offenders for their positive growth. Working at psychiatric hospitals supporting the different psychological needs of individuals; and at public and private schools for general students’ wellbeing, developed my leadership and skill in providing high quality, efficient, collaborative, accessible and responsive service. I learnt about what satisfied people who used the health-related services and what made a difference in a different cultural context.

My philosophy of education is manaakitanga (the Māori expression of looking after people with love and compassion) and 조화 jo-hwa (the Korean term for weaving the people together), lastly, 상생 sangsaeng (the Korean word for 'win-win' as a mutual and interdependent life, that fosters a culture of collaboration rather than competition), therefore, must have a supportive educational environment where they can develop physically (taha tinana), mentally (taha hinengaro), socially (taha whānau), and spiritually (taha wairua).

Responsibilities

• Programme Leader, MArts BA Music and Music Psychology
• International Students Project Liaison Lead

Research interests

My research interest is in an inclusive understanding of people’s therapeutic experiences within various cultures. By studying the significant role of the cultural context in therapeutic practices, my goal is to warn against dehumanisation, which can come from ignoring cultural diversity. The cultural diversity in healing practices is becoming increasingly crucial in diverse, cosmopolitan societies to understand a ‘person as a culture’. Understanding the cultural context can empower the various voices which have been marginalised by mainstream perspectives.

Research related activities

• Leading Korean Music & Wellbeing Lecture, Workshop, Concert Series Funded by the Academy of Korean Studies (2024-2025): see Link
• Conducting research about International Student Project, School of Music at the University of Leeds (2023–current): see Link

Qualifications

• PhD in Music Therapy, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
• M.Ed in Music Therapy Education, Ewha Womans University, South Korea
• BA in Psychology (Second major: Child development & Intervention, Korean Music), Ewha University
• FHEA
• New Zealand Registered Music Therapist (NZRMTh), Korean Certificated Music Therapist (KCMT)

Professional memberships

• New Zealand Registered Music Therapist (NZRMTh)
• National Technical Qualification Certificate Clinical Psychologist, South Korea
• Korean Certificated Music Therapist (KCMT) 2013 - 2025
• The Level 1 Guided Imagery and Music Therapist
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Co-Editor, New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy (NZJMT)

Student education

I currently lead the International Student Project and am programme leader for the MArts BA Music Psychology at the School of Music. Since 2019, I have taught social anthropology, education, and music papers at a university in New Zealand. These teaching experiences in different disciplines have enhanced my pedagogical practices, particularly in terms of fostering an inclusive culture of learning, providing pastoral care and offering research-informed teaching to diverse groups of students. Teaching various papers helped me experience proactively develop new and innovative teaching and assessment (formative and summative) approaches and materials.