Australian Music Therapy Association

10/09/2025

🛑 Media release: AMTA welcomes recognition of music therapy under NDIS but raises concern over price cuts

The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) welcomes the report of the Independent Review of NDIS Funded Music and Art Supports led by Dr Stephen Duckett AM, which:

- reaffirms music therapy as a recognised therapeutic support under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- confirms that only AMTA-registered music therapists are eligible to deliver music therapy.

This recognition aligns music therapy with other allied health professions such as speech pathology and dietetics, underscoring the profession’s standards and clinical expertise.

However, AMTA is deeply concerned by the pricing cuts announced by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) upon publication of Dr Duckett’s report.

🔗 Read AMTA's media statement: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-item/20618/media-release-amta-response-to-duckett-report


📷 A woman and child sit together at a keyboard.

05/09/2025

AMTA's CEO, Bridgit Hogan RMT, represented registered music therapists today at an NDIS Roundtable with the Minister for the NDIS, Senator the Hon. Jenny McAllister, and member organisations of Allied Health Professions Australia.

The roundtable focused on:

- NDIS and therapy pricing policy
- Thriving Kids and foundational supports
- Evidence-based therapy supports.

Bridgit introduced the section on evidence-based therapy supports. Thanks to AHPA, the allied peak associations that form its membership, the minister and her staff for a productive discussion.

📷 AMTA CEO Bridgit Hogan RMT, on the left, with participants to the NDIS Roundtable with Minister for the NDIS Senator the Hon Jenny Mcallister and representatives of Allied Health Professions Australia members.

05/09/2025

Australian registered music therapists continue to advance scholarly research on the world stage, with noted contributions to the recent edition of Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy.

Brede Davis RMT, Zoë Kalenderidis RMT and Grace Thompson RMT, with NZ colleague Carolyn Shaw, authored 'Music therapists’ lived experience as a radical resource', a compelling article challenging ableist assumptions in clinical practice and highlighting the power of lived experience.

Also included is a timely position paper by Kyung Min Kim RMT MT-BC, Jinah Kim RMT and Katrina Skewes-McFerran RMT: 'Exploring the practicality of portable EEG equipment for visualising emotional responses when listening to meaningful songs'.

AMTA is proud to highlight vital scholarship that informs global conversations on inclusion, technology and ethics in music therapy.

📌 Read Voices: https://voices.no/

An Open Access peer reviewed journal that invites interdisciplinary dialogue and discussion about music, health, and social change.

03/09/2025

The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is looking for an Advocacy Officer to help shape the future of music therapy in Australia.

This remote, flexible role will lead AMTA’s advocacy agenda. You'll monitor, analyse and respond to policy developments across health, disability, aged care, mental health and education sectors. If you have senior experience in policy, advocacy or stakeholder engagement in the health or allied health sector, we'd love to hear from you.

This is an opportunity to make a significant impact on the music therapy profession at a national level.

🔗 https://www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/amta2020/advocacy-officer-remote-work-from-home?workTypes=8

Drive national advocacy for music therapy, working remotely with a supportive team - shape policy, influence health reform, and expand access to life-changing services across Australia.

31/08/2025

🎶 It's not too late to register for tonight's webinar on careers in music therapy. If you're wondering what the pathway to becoming a registered music therapist (RMT) looks like, come along!

Hosted by the Australian Music Therapy Association and our university partners Western Sydney University and University of Melbourne, the webinar will introduce real-life registered music therapists ready to share their career pathways and answer your questions.

When: Monday 1 September from 7.30 to 8.30pm
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/bdu9b4zh
A recording of the event will be available later.


📷 Text: "Free webinar. Music therapy careers night." Logos: University of Melbourne, Western Sydney University, Australian Music Therapy Association. A registered music therapist playing guitar in a hospital's neonatal ward.

29/08/2025

us❄️✈️ From Brisbane to -32°C in Regina, Saskatchewan - Vicky Abad’s first overseas trip was more than a climate shock. It was a defining step in her journey to becoming a Registered Music Therapist.

In a new story on AMTA’s digital memory wall, Vicky shares how a Queen’s Trust Scholarship - and some borrowed winter gloves - took her to Canada to complete her clinical training. There, she learned the power of teamwork, found lifelong friends, and returned home ready to advocate for the profession she loves.

💬 “My experiences in Canada shaped the way I work as a music therapist today.”

Since graduating in 1993, Vicky has been a tireless advocate for music therapy in Australia - as a practitioner, academic, AMTA President, business owner and innovator. We’re proud to feature her journey as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations.

🎉 Got a story to share? The memory wall is open to everyone — from seasoned RMTs to clients, carers and colleagues. Whether your moment is big or small, we’d love you to be part of this shared history.

📖 Read Vicky’s full story and add your own: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-and-events/50th-anniversary/


📷 A photo collage of Vicky Abad's meaningful moments in music therapy

27/08/2025

Australia’s first music therapy songbook for Aboriginal people in health care has been launched. 🎶The Health Song Book Project brings together 20 original songs from 14 Indigenous language groups, created to support connection and care in clinical settings.

We’re proud to see registered music therapists contributing to this important work, including Delphine Geia RMT, who co-wrote a song with a client living with schizophrenia, combining music-making with qualitative research to identify therapeutic goals in pain management, cognitive function and coordination.

Also involved were Maybelle Swaney RMT and Bec Watt RMT, with the project supported by the Global Arts and Health Alliance, Women's & Children's Hospital Foundation, Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music, Elder Conservatorium of Music, Adelaide University and Mobile Language Team. Congratulations all on this valuable contribution.

🔗 Read more via National Indigenous Times: https://nit.com.au/04-08-2025/19439/first-indigenous-music-therapy-songbook-launched

Australia's first music therapy songbook for Aboriginal people in health care has launched, aiming to strengthen cultural connection and support clinical outcomes.'The Health Song Book Project' includ...

25/08/2025

Program launch! AMTA is pleased to share the program for AMTA2025: Orchestrating impact and innovation, our national conference and professional development seminar. We're proud of the diverse offering, with themes that extend across innovation and technology, clinical care, lived experience, culture and practice, research and more.

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/yhezhckn

Watch this space for program highlights and more detail.

The national conference will be held in Melbourne from 16 to 19 October and includes:
- our inaugural pre-conference welcome event, to which all members of the public are invited
- two days of learning, reflection and professional connection
- an all-day professional development seminar
- a pre-conference advanced competency workshop for registered music therapists only.

📷 Text: "AMTA2025 conference. Orchestrating impact and innovation." Logo: AMTA 50 years. Colourful tiles and icons representing connectino, conversation, music and ideas.

22/08/2025

From first presentations to future research... the career journey of a registered music therapist can take many paths. Every story adds to our shared history. In a beautiful memory from AMTA's 50th anniversary digital memory wall, Zhengyao (Gab) Guo reflects on his first time speaking about music therapy as a student in China, and where that road has taken him.

"A photo of me presenting on music therapy back in 2018 in China - my very first time sharing my placement experience as a student music therapist (with a slightly shaky voice). A few months later, I moved to Australia to pursue a master’s degree in music therapy. Seven years on, I’m still here! (Now doing research and asking bigger questions.)

"Sharing matters. It's how we move forward."

Thank you so much, Gab!

🔗 Check out more stories from across the decades - and add your own https://www.austmta.org.au/news-and-events/50th-anniversary/


📷 Text: "Meaningful moments in music therapy". Logo: AMTA 50th anniversary. Images: Zhengyao (Gab) Guo at his first music therapy research presentation and now.

21/08/2025

AMTA's CEO Bridgit Hogan RMT took part in a panel on shaping health and care policy today at the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) national summit.

Sharing the stage with COSBOA Director Ann Davey, Beyond Blue's Georgie Harman AO, and Jodie Long from the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges, Bridgit spoke about the importance of advocacy and collaboration in the policy space.

Thanks to COSBOA for the opportunity, and congratulations on two days of impactful knowledge-sharing.

hashtag
📷 Bridgit Hogan and panellists on stage at COSBOA national summit. Photo credit to COSBOA, with thanks.

15/08/2025

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA), the Australian Journal of Music Therapy will publish a special edition featuring abstracts from this year's national conference.

AJMT Editor A/Prof Jinah Kim RMT is excited to showcase the depth and diversity of current music therapy research and practice, while honouring the legacy and growth of the profession over 5 decades.

"For presenters, inclusion in this special edition offers enhanced visibility, academic recognition and the opportunity to contribute to a lasting scholarly record," she said. "For the journal, it enriches the publication with a dynamic collection of contemporary work, fostering dialogue and inspiration across the field."

This initiative not only celebrates our shared achievements but also strengthens the bridge between conference engagement and scholarly dissemination. We look forward to sharing it with you.


📷 Text: "Announcement: special edition. Australian Journal of Music Therapy." Logo: AMTA 50 years. Image of an older peson and a younger person playing piano together.