Newcastle Music & Art Therapy

31/07/2025

A huge thank you to Red Frog: for Families for featuring Newcastle Music & Art Therapy in their winter magazine!

Music and art can often do what words can’t. In this issue of our digital magazine, we go behind the scenes at Newcastle Music & Art Therapy and chat with Susan & Katishe, and discover how creativity can support individuals of all ages and abilities to improve their lives and achieve therapeutic goals.
🎵🎨 Therapy. Not classes. Not crafts. Real impact!

14/07/2025

‼️📣 HAVE YOUR SAY! 📣‼️

The Department of Social Services is running a survey about the rules that decide what supports NDIS participants can spend their funding on.

You might remember that back in October 2024 some temporary rules were brought in (Section 10) to define what kinds of supports the NDIS will pay for.

Now those rules are getting an update.

Before that happens, you have a chance to share your thoughts in this survey. If you’ve got feedback about the current list of NDIS supports or how things are defined (and we know that many of you do!), now’s your chance to tell the NDIS your thoughts.

Click here to start the survey:
https://engage.dss.gov.au/ndis-supports-rule/your-experience-of-the-ndis-supports-rules-support-lists/

04/07/2025

The 2025 Newcastle Maritime Art Prize is on again, and artists have until 14th July to submit their artwork!

This year's theme is: "Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity—a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to protect and sustain our marine environments." Artists will have to provide a short statement explaining how their Artwork responds to the theme.

The Prize has six categories, supporting eight awards:
- Best in Show $5000 Acquisitive Prize
- People’s Choice $1000 Prize
- CAT 1: $1500 Newcastle MTS Open Award (max 200 entries will be accepted)*
- CAT 2 :$1000 Indigenous Artist Award (max 200 entries will be accepted)*
- CAT 3: $1000 Seafarer / Port Worker Artist Award (max 200 entries will be accepted)*
- CAT 4: $500 High School Students Artists Award
- CAT 5: $500 Primary School Students Class / School Artist Award
- CAT 6: $100 Primary School Student Artist Award (Three $100 vouchers will be awarded to three students)

*There is an entry fee of AUD $35.00 (inc. GST) for Categories 1,2 and 3.

You can find out more, or enter here: https://mtsnewcastle.org.au/exhibition/

02/07/2025

🎸 Music Therapy spots available - immediate start! 🎵

We have daytime and after school spots available right now - just head to our referral form using the link below, pop in your details, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Music Therapy is more than just playing music. It’s a powerful, creative way to:
✨Help you function in your daily life through practicing skills
✨Understand, express and regulate emotions
✨Build self confidence through musical achievements

Whether you're looking for a new way to navigate emotional regulation, improve communication, or feel more connected socially - we're here to support you.

Ready to explore Music Therapy? Let’s create beautiful music together. Fill out a referral form here: https://bit.ly/NMAT_MTReferral

VIDEO DESCRIPTION 🎥
A white square reading "MUSIC THERAPY SPOTS AVAILABLE". The writing is transparent, and through the letters a close up of two musician's hands can be seen; in the left foreground is a black and white djembe drum being played by hand, and in the right background a light brown guitar is being strummed.

02/07/2025

🖤💛❤️ Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist? 🖤💛❤️

Wandiyali's NAIDOC Art Competition is returning for a 4th year, and there's still time to submit your artwork!

Even if you're not an artist, you can still head along to the gallery next week to check out the artworks or join the fun activities they'll be running.

Email reception@wandiyali.com.au to enter, or to find out more information.

Wandiyali's NAIDOC Art Competition is returning for a 4th year! 🖤💛❤️
We're calling out to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to showcase their skills.
Our Art Gallery will be open from 10:00am - 2:00pm, Wednesday 9th - Friday 11th July 2025!
Activities will be on throughout the event - activities to be announced!

Join us for a great week of activities and to see all of the artwork entered in the competition! 🪃
For more information, please reach out to reception@wandiyali.com.au or 4957 5900!

30/06/2025

Congratulations to Saiya and her fellow choristers for winning the 2025 Sydney Eisteddfod Australasian Choral Championship!

If you're free on the 1st August we highly recommend going along to their Winter Song performance at the Newcastle Conservatorium - you can buy tickets here: www.ticketebo.com.au/newcastle-chamber-choir

🎉🏆 We’re thrilled to share that we have won the 2025 Sydney Eisteddfod Australasian Choral Championship! 🏆🎉

It was an honour to share the stage with so many outstanding ensembles and to witness such an inspiring evening of choral music. Congratulations to all who took part, and special congratulations to Frensham Madrigals, Meriden Senior Singers, and Reddam House Senior Choir on your fantastic performances and well-deserved success.

A huge thank you to the Sydney Eisteddfod team, the adjudicators, and everyone involved in bringing this event to life, as well as to the generous sponsors who make opportunities like this possible. We’re so proud to be part of such a passionate and vibrant choral community.

28/06/2025

Would you like to stay in the know about everything music therapy in Australia?

Subscribe to the Australian Music Therapy Association's newsletter here: https://www.austmta.org.au/subscribe-to-enewsletter/

You can also check out the inaugural edition of the newsletter here:

What’s more, it seems to us that more people than ever before have some knowledge of music therapy as an evidence-based allied health profession. Many Australians have learned that registered music therapists help people of all ages deal with a wide range of health issues. That’s partly because ...

27/06/2025

We are so excited to be featured in the winter edition of Red Frog: for Families digital magazine!

Click the link below, and flip to page 20 to read the interview with Susan and Katishe!

https://rf4f.com.au/digital-magazine/winter-edition/

IMAGE DESCRIPTION 🖼️
A magazine cover with a "Red Frog for families" banner (Teal and green writing with a happy red frog in the centre). The central image shows a young man using a climbing wall; he is paused mid-climb, looking over his shoulder at the camera. A teal footer at the bottom has an illustration of snow resting on top of it, with two headlines and a snowflake within the footer.

24/06/2025

Have you ever wanted to see your artwork travel around the world?

The ‘Lots of Socks’ competition wants your designs for their official 2026 World Downs Syndrome Day socks!

Click the link below to download the template and get creating. The winning design will be used to create the official ‘Lots Of Socks’ socks for 2026! The winner will also receive a pack of socks in the design inspired by their submission. The socks will then go on sale in the ‘Lots Of Socks’ shop from November 2025.

Calling all creatives! Want to see your art worn across the globe?

The design competition for World Down Syndrome Day 2026 is officially open! This is your chance to design the socks that thousands will proudly wear to celebrate inclusion and diversity.

🌍 Anyone can enter—whether you’re a doodler, designer, or dreamer.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Invite your friends, family, or classmates to join the fun.
👑 The winning design will be chosen by the Down Syndrome International Ambassadors!

🗓️ Entries close 11 July 2025. 📲 Learn how to enter: https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/losdesigncompetition2026?

Let your creativity shine for a cause that truly matters. Down Syndrome Australia

24/06/2025

Are you an artist who would like to take their art making to the next level?

Creative Australia’s Arts and Disability Grant is now open! If you’re a d/Deaf or disabled artist you can apply for funding to develop a new work, or to build your practice, skills and networks.

Click the link in the post below to find out more!

🎨 Are you an artist or creative with disability? This is your moment.

Creative Australia's Arts and Disability Initiative is now open! Grants of up to $30,000 are available to help bring your creative vision to life—whether you want to develop a new work, collaborate with others, grow your skills, or travel with a mentor.

✨ You can also apply for up to $3,000 to cover access costs.

🗓️ Applications close: Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 3.00pm (AEST) 🛫 Projects must begin after 1 October 2025.

This opportunity is open to d/Deaf and disabled artists and arts workers across all forms of creativity— painting, writing, performing, and designing.

💡 Easy English guides available to make applying more accessible.

Ready to take your art to the next level? Apply now: https://creative.gov.au/investments-opportunities/arts-and-disability-initiative?
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17/06/2025

Are you feeling creative? The Sustainable Neighbourhoods Waste to Art Exhibition wants you to create art out of materials that have been thrown out or abandoned.

The Waste to Art project asks us to reflect on the waste in our lives, and what we can do to transition to a more sustainable future.

The exhibition will be held across two locations in Charlestown and Swansea from 20 October 2025 to 24 January 2026.

If you're keen to get involved, you can register here: https://www.sustainableneighbourhoods.org.au/waste-to-art.html

16/06/2025

❗NDIS FUNDING UPDATE - Sign the petition!❗

From 1st July 2025, the NDIS plans to either cut or maintain prices for many important services, including allied health, support coordination, and travel - even though the cost of living is going up.

Price guides in the NDIS for services like occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, and dietetics - as well as music therapy and art therapy - have not changed since 2019.

While we are still fighting to keep music therapy and art therapy classified as allied health supports, these pricing changes could make it too expensive for most allied health providers to keep offering the quality, personalised support that you need, especially if you rely on providers being able to travel to you.

Travel prices are being cut in half - this means that many services that require travel to you (such as an OT coming to your house to do a functional assessment) may be forced to stop altogether. For people in remote communities, where allied health services are already scarce, this could be devastating.

Raising or even maintaining the cost of our services isn't about profits, or lining anyone's pockets. It's about providing you with the best support possible. And right now, many providers like us are struggling to keep doing this work sustainably.

We want to be able to keep showing up and doing our best for you and your loved ones. If you value the care, connection, and consistency we bring, we’d love your support.

Signing the petition below is one way to help make sure this kind of support doesn’t disappear - especially in communities where it’s needed most.

Australian Music Therapy Association ANZACATA

Stand Up for Disability Support: Stop the NDIS Cuts