Australian Music Therapy Association

24/07/2025

AMTA supports the call for fairer support for allied health students, along with Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) and our colleagues across allied health.

With our professional community, AMTA asks that the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) be expanded to all allied health students.

Right now, most students in allied health - including music therapy - are excluded from the CPP, despite completing hundreds of hours of mandatory, unpaid placements. For music therapy students, that’s typically 640 hours, often requiring extended travel, temporary relocation and lost income.

It’s a serious barrier to equity, learning and growing Australia's workforce of registered music therapists.

We are part of AHPA’s push to recognise the financial burden of placements - and the essential value of allied health - by extending the CPP to all disciplines. Investment in student placements is an investment in the future of our profession and the health of our communities.

📣 Read AHPA’s media release: https://www.ahpa.com.au/news-updates/allied-health-sector-calls-for-prac-payment-reform-to-tackle-placement-poverty

The allied health sector today calls on Minister for Education, The Hon Jason Clare MP, and the Federal Government to commit to an immediate expansion of the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) and the inclusion of all allied health professions in the program.

21/07/2025

Last week, AMTA representatives met with the office of Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Senator Jenny McAllister. The minister’s team reaffirmed their commitment to a no-surprises approach to decision-making and expressed a clear willingness to work collaboratively with AMTA on a policy solution that safeguards participant choice - a principle that remains central to our advocacy.

We'd like to send thanks to Senator McAllister, Chief of Staff Reuben Mayo-Ray and Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Laura Haylen for a productive and constructive conversation. We look forward to our continuing collaboration.

📷 CEO Bridgit Hogan RMT, President Monica Zidar RMT Advocacy Officer Hannah Halloran at the Sydney office of NDIS minister Senator McAllister.

13/07/2025

It’s a big year for the Australian Music Therapy Association! For a start, it’s our 50th anniversary, and we have a lot to celebrate.

💌 That's why we launched Music Therapy Matters: a newsletter for everyone, to share inspiring stories from the music therapy community and to keep beating the drum for the music therapy profession.

🔗 We are so pleased to invite you to read it online now. https://www.austmta.org.au/news-item/19827/introducing-music-therapy-matters

And, if you’d like a dose of good news about music therapy delivered straight to your inbox a few times a year, please subscribe. We’d love to welcome you as part of the AMTA community.


📷 Text: 'Music therapy matters. News from the Australian Music Therapy Association". AMTA's 50th anniversary logo. A pair of hands on a djembe drum.

10/07/2025

We’re delighted to feature Dr Tanya Silveira-Price RMT as our local spotlight speaker at AMTA's forthcoming national conference.

A leading clinician-researcher, Tanya’s work has spanned healthcare settings, communities and cultures across Australia and India. Her passion for inclusive, evidence-based practice shines through in everything from program design to stroke rehab, research and teaching.

As we celebrate 50 years of AMTA, Tanya will challenge and inspire us to imagine a bold, connected and accessible future for music therapy.

👉 Meet Tanya and explore the keynote line-up: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-and-events/events/2025-conference/program/


📷 Headshot of Dr Tanya Silveira-Price RMT. Text "Tanya Silveira-Price. Local spotlight speaker." AMTA2025 conference logo. AMTA 50th anniversary logo.

09/07/2025

Congratulations to AMTA member Dr Janeen Bower RMT, whose research has been published in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.

Dr Bower, 2024 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and leader of an international team of researchers, found that a simple nursery rhyme can elicit brain responses that other stimuli cannot in children with severe brain injuries. The University of Melbourne reported that the results provide hope for families and clinicians seeking non-invasive ways to reach children in states of reduced consciousness.

"As researchers and clinicians, we often focus on the data, but this study shows a child responding to a song her parents probably sang to her countless times," Dr Bower said. "This reminds us that behind every data point is a human story. We hope this research leads to better outcomes for families.”

Learn more: https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/about-us/news/familiar-songs-may-help-maximise-recovery-in-children-with-brain-injuries #:~:text=Recently%20published%20in%20The%20Nordic,with%20a%20severe%20brain%20injury.

Familiar songs may help maximise recovery in children with brain injuries

07/07/2025

🔦 Registered music therapist in the spotlight! Wonderful to read an interview with Sian Truasheim RMT, chatting with Metro South Health about her music therapy work with young people.

“Music stimulates areas responsible for memory, emotion, movement and connection,” Sian said.

🫶 “Whether it’s a baby learning to feed in the NICU or a young person navigating emotional distress, music therapy taps into the brain’s natural plasticity to promote healing and regulation.”

Tap below for a terrific read on how, in the hands of a registered music therapist, music becomes a tool to explore emotional regulation, mindfulness and resilience.

https://www.metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/about-us/news/mental-health/music-sets-the-tone-for-healing


📷 A smiling Sian Truasheim RMT with her guitar

Sian Truasheim has stuck a chord with young people attending the Logan Adolescent Day Program (LADP) and it’s all thanks to her work as a music therapist.

05/07/2025

AMTA's Tasmania Branch is hosting an innoivative looping workshop, and everyone is invited.

Gain a deeper understanding of looping techniques with Charlie McCarthy, creator and performer of In The Loop – Live Looping and Grooves in Hobart. Charlie has extensive experience teaching musicians of all skill levels how to harness looping for creativity, practice and performance.

Who: Everyone is welcome. You don't have to be an AMTA member to come along.
When: Saturday 19 July at 2.30pm AEST
Where: New Town, Tasmania or via Zoom
Who: Everyone is welcome. You don't have to be an AMTA member to come along
Learn more and register: https://www.austmta.org.au/eventdetails/32413/amta-tas-branch-looping-session-with-charlie-mccarthy-peer-skill-sharing-tas-only

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Photo credit: Charlie McCarthy
📷 Text: "An invitation from Tasmania Branch. Looping workshop with Charlie McCarthy." A photo of Charlie playing the violin. AMTA logo.

03/07/2025

We’re proud to welcome Caleb Rixon as the national keynote speaker for hashtag .

A visionary changemaker, stroke survivor, performer and advocate, Caleb has transformed his personal journey into a catalyst for healthcare innovation and disability awareness. As founder of the genyus Foundation, he’s building global platforms for storytelling, peer support and systemic change.

At our 50th national conference, Caleb will invite us to listen deeply, reflect critically and consider how music therapists can amplify the voices of people with disability, channelling creativity into advocacy.

👉 More about Caleb and our keynote speakers: https://lnkd.in/gig9mH8u


📷 Headshot of Caleb Rixon. Text: "Caleb Rixon. National keynote.' AMTA2025 conference logo. AMTA 50th anniversary logo."

02/07/2025

🖤💛❤️ In Aboriginal culture, music and art - especially Songlines - have long been used to share stories, connect to Country and retrieve memory. New research shows how these deep cultural traditions can guide support for social and emotional wellbeing in dementia, which is rising faster among First Nations Elders than non-Indigenous Australians.

In the latest Australian Journal of Music Therapy, Larrakia Elder, healer and artist Anthony “Tony” Duwun Lee, Gucki Reissenberger and Dr Michelle Moss (Charles Darwin University) describe the co-design of a culturally adapted wellbeing framework for First Nations Elders living with dementia.

The result is a meaningful, respectful and community-led model of care for First Nations Elders living with dementia - one thatbridges cultural gaps and highlights the potential of music therapy in aged care settings.

📖 Read the full article via the Australian Journal of Music Therapy:https://www.austmta.org.au/public/151/files/AJMT/2024/Issue%202/Lee%20et%20al%20-%20with%20corrections.pdf

Source: Lee, A. D., Reissenberger, G., & Moss, M. (2024). Social and Emotional Wellbeing for First Nations Elders through Three-Way Design, Creation, and Reflection. AJMT, 35(1).


📷 Text: "Australian Journal of Music Therapy. Research spotlight: music therapy & dementia. Anthony Duwun Lee, Gucki Reissenberger & Dr Michelle Moss". AMTA logo. Author headshots.

27/06/2025

🎶 We’re thrilled to announce Professor Wendy Magee PhD as the international keynote speaker for AMTA2025 conference: orchestrating impact and innovation.

A global leader in music therapy research and practice, Wendy’s work spans acquired brain injury, disorders of consciousness, music technology and more. Her contributions - including a Cochrane Review and development of the MATADOC assessment tool - have shaped the field worldwide.

Wendy will bring her expertise in evidence-based practice, assessment and evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration to this milestone conference as we celebrate 50 years of AMTA.

👉 Learn more about Prof. Magee and our keynote line-up: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-and-events/events/2025-conference/program/



📷 Text: "Professor Wendy Magee. International keynote." Logo and branding elements for AMTA2025 conference: orchestrating impact and innovation, 17-19 October 2025. Logo for AMTA 50 years.

26/06/2025

🎓 This week, AMTA President Monica Zidar RMT gave a guest lecture to undergraduate students at Bond University, introducing music therapy as a dynamic and evidence-based allied health profession.

The session offered an overview of music therapy across the lifespan, featuring real-world examples from neonatal care to stroke rehabilitation. Students were especially curious about the pathway to becoming a registered music therapist - a promising sign for the future of the profession!

Learn how to become a registered music therapist ➡️ https://www.austmta.org.au/about/about-rmts/be-an-rmt/


📷 AMTA President Monica Zidar RMT in front of a slide featuring registered music therapists in action

26/06/2025

AMTA’s Advocacy Officer Hannah Halloran was at Mental Health Australia’s Members Policy Forum in Canberra yesterday - a timely opportunity to consider next steps for the mental health care sector and identify shared priorities for reform. Hannah said it was great to see a diverse group of delegates, including policymakers, providers, representatives from peak bodies, people with lived experience and decision-makers such as Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing the Hon. Mark Butler MP.

With the Productivity Commission’s interim report of the Review of the National Mental Health and Su***de Prevention Agreement published the same day, we’re pleased AMTA had a voice at this important event.

Thanks to Mental Health Australia for a stimulating day of discussion and connection.

Photo credits: Mental Health Australia
📷 1 - Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing the Hon. Mark Butler MP presenting at the forum
📷 2 - Chief Executive Officer of Mental Health Australia Carolyn Nikoloski presenting at the forum