Tuned In Music Therapy

22/07/2025

Music education matters, music therapy matters, music for health matters. Quite frankly… music matters. A key theme from the music in me summit from

Pic 1. So great to meet up with fellow RMTs, Bronte and Vanessa … loved seeing you both 😍

Pic 2. Quote shared from Richard Gill- “every child should have the opportunity to learn and create music”. Yes, yes and yes to that 👏And what Richard Gill has created in terms of mentoring for educators is simply brilliant.
How many times will I say the word brilliant in this caption? 😊

Pic 3. The brilliant Bronte, Registered Music Therapist from presenting to music educators … heaps of rich and interactive content. Congrats Bronte 🎉, your presentation was fantastic … nearly said brilliant again 😔.

Pic 4. A wonderful panel who shared why music matters. Themes of how children in primary school, who rarely spoke, engaged and communicated in creative music classes from Rachel Scott (cellist and educator) and Estelle Southall, school principal.

Sadly, government funding is raised as a challenge … when will we ever have the funding needed for the music and the arts?

However, that didn’t detract from panel shares of increased belonging, identity, community and communication that comes from investing in music in the early years.

There was so much more ‘brilliant’ content but I didn’t snap it all. Workshops a-plenty and everyone invited to play, dance and sing. The best way really … we all know how music supports and strongly reinforces learning and connection.

Overall, it was great. Yep, I’ll say it again… Brilliant.

I highly recommend attending this event if you can next year.

Thanks ‘Music in Me’ for a great event. It was so good and the perfect way to start the first week of term 3.

20/07/2025

Back to reality… Monday vibes. Joy, hope, tiredness … and guitars … we’re ready to take it on

25/06/2025

love the Beatles, love . So many great songs from the fab 4. Memories of family and friends all wrapped up in the Beatles. I went to University in Liverpool and met my friends for life there 💕

This picture is of a ‘larger than real life’ statue of the Beatles with my three daughters hiding between Paul, John, Ringo and George’s legs. It’s located on the Pier Head in Liverpool and looks out to the River Mersey. You can’t miss it!

25/06/2025

In a world where everything is under pressure in the NDIS, you may be wondering why we're still advocating so hard. Well, the independent review into the pricing and status of music therapy in the NDIS is still ongoing (7months and counting). And, just yesterday, we, once again heard misrepresentation of music therapy first-hand.

In response, Anita Connell (Registered Music Therapist and founder of Tuned In Connections & Tuned In Music Therapy) got back on the advocacy train.

Read why Anita firmly believes that music therapy should be funded as a therapeutic support in the NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme, so that
NDIS Participants and Providers Australia, can choose creative arts therapies to support their health goals.

Today, I found myself frustrated again, responding to yet another misrepresentation of music therapy in the NDIS. So, I thought I’d share in words some advocacy. For people who need music therapy and for therapists and advocates who keep showing up to make that happen.

22/06/2025

Happy world music day! A celebration of all things music. We’re all musical - our philosophy that’s at the ❤️ heart of all that we do - so today is everyone’s day.

May it bring music, connection, creativity, healing and community. We really can thrive in music. It’s our absolute belief as music therapists.

Enjoy the day whatever you do. And you don’t have to play an instrument to enjoy this day! Hum, whistle, sense the rhythm of the world around you. It’s all music 🎶💕 (quavers and pink hearts)

19/06/2025

A great morning of collaboration, connection and discussion with Sydney North Health Network.

The purpose, for healthcare providers, caregivers and communities to work together to help people live their “best health”.

Across the lifespan - starting well, living well and ageing well.

All with the aim of fostering connected communities to reduce social isolation, improve healthcare and eradicate service inequity. Oh, and an area I’m passionate about, “preventative healthcare”.

From all the dialogue in the room and despite the challenges, I left with a real sense that this can be achieved. Certainly in this health network.

If you’re in Sydney North and curious about the plans, scan the QR code and connect in. This is about everyone coming together to transform health and community and it’s going to require a team effort. From a team passionate about healthcare for everyone.

If you’re in other areas, connect to your local primary health network to find out more.

Thank you Sydney North Health Network. A wonderful event and an inspiring vision ☺️

10/06/2025

🎵 Want to make a real difference in the life of someone diagnosed with dementia?

Join our Personalised Music Listening Program – designed for caregivers, aged care workers, family members, and allied health professionals who support someone with dementia.

🧠 Through just 1 hour of online training, you’ll learn how to use personalised music to support connection, mood, and memory.
🎓 Earn a micro-credential from Western Sydney University
🤝 Receive ongoing support during the 1-month study from Anita, a registered music therapist

We close recruitment for this music listening opportunity on 27 June. Just a few last places available so if you are interested, message Anita on a.connell@westernsydney.edu.au or anita@tunedinmusictherapy.com

If you care for someone with dementia and want to know how best to connect with them through music, then this program could be for you.

📩 Reach out now to register or learn more. And if it's not for you, you might want to do the good friend thing and share it on. You will certainly be making a difference to someone's care and connection. Thank you.

27/05/2025

Exploring personal space with hula hoops!

We’re working alongside kindergartens to co-design inclusive, play-based strategies that support all learners, including children with disabilities. We’re loving this work as we get to share our learnings from the therapy room and support others to use techniques in their setting.

This hula hoop activity is part of a ‘mini program’ we’ve developed in a co-design approach with one kindy team. The ‘mini program’ is a set of practical approaches the kindergarten team can make use of incorporating movement, song, social stories … and hula hoops… to support early communication, self-awareness, and play.

Each kindergarten team brings their expertise to the ‘mini program’ design. Kindergarten teachers are brilliant. We’re offering a consultancy approach with flexible tools and techniques shared and then shaped through our partnership.

This is just one example of how inclusive learning and play starts early and in every corner of the playground. 🛝💬🎶 (play, communication, music)

👉 If you’d like some support designing inclusive, practical tools for your kindergarten, get in touch. We’d love to work and support you, your team and your learners.

19/02/2025

Music IS the medium for change. Or certainly, that’s our philosophy and experience as music therapists. Within music therapy, working with the therapeutic and relational experience in music we see improvements in

🙌 self-discovery and identity
🙌 communication and self-expression
🙌 understanding of emotions and emotional wellbeing
🙌 memory, attention and creative thinking
🙌 confidence to engage socially with others

All of this from music 🎶

There’s many more benefits of music and music therapy in all the literature. These are what we see the most in the work we do.

Message us if you’d like to find out more.

Or visit our website (www.tunedinmusictherapy.com) or for Instagram followers, the link in our bio to find tips for using music at home.

23/01/2025

Help Protect Music Therapy in the NDIS 🤩

The Independent Review into the NDIS is reviewing music therapy in the scheme.

In the words of The Clash, it’s a case of ‘should I stay or should I go’.

However, it’s not a choice music therapists can make. It’s in the hands of the NDIS and will all be decided following the independent review conducted by Dr Stephen Duckett.

This is a critical time for people with disability accessing music therapy and for music therapists providing services.

We now have the opportunity to show why music therapy matters.

We’re calling on participants, families, and allied health professionals to share their experience about how music therapy has made a difference.

Your voice can help demonstrate the impact of music therapy on communication, mobility, executive functioning and overall wellbeing for people accessing the NDIS.

Together, we can ensure music therapy continues to be one of the essential therapeutic supports in the NDIS.

If we don’t share the stories now, come early Feb, it will be too late.

Please, jump onto the AMTA pages and share what you can via the links they provide. This will at least ensure a fair review of music therapy in the NDIS.

Click the link to share your story today. Or tomorrow. But definitely by 7 Feb. We’d really appreciate it. Thank you ☺️

Australian Music Therapy Association

Music Therapy Needs You!
The independent review into music therapy is open, and we need your voice! Share your experiences and show how music therapy has made a difference. Submissions close 7 Feb 2025.
👉 Learn more: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-item/18109/beat-the-drum-for-music-therapy



📷 A girl reaching up to strike a drum. Text: "Beat the drum for music therapy. www.austmta.org.au. Raise your voice. Submit your support. Keep music therapy in the NDIS."

19/12/2024

Just one last bit of content to support how music therapy works. We know it and if you follow us, you probably know it. But, does google know it? Well, it seems it does. Here’s a tiny bit of what google will tell you on our slides.

Music therapy improves communication, reduces anxiety, improves cognition and improves physical mobility. There’s also memory gains and improvement in depression, quality of life and social interactions.

There’s much to improve in the way research is conducted, evaluated and documented. Participant voices are often lost in the stats and protocols.

However, we look to the research to make sure we are incorporating the best methods and ways of offering music therapy to meet individual needs and preferences. We then make sure our program design focuses on the person’s preferences and needs.

We’re person-centred.

We’re research-informed.

We’re practitioners who combine our head, heart, research and instincts (guts) to offer the best music therapy we can.

We’re wrapping up 2024 over the next few days. It’s been a year of positive outcomes for the many families we meet. 2024 has definitely been a year to celebrate all of that.

Hey google! And everyone else following or visiting us. Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to us 💕🎶