Little Musical Caravan

29/07/2025

This is for music therapy colleagues. In her role as Co-Editor of the New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy, our Director Emily Langlois Hunt is excited to share that the Journal is hosting a writing workshop for new or returning authors with *Dr Carolyn Shaw*

Calling all budding authors from the music therapy community in New Zealand, Aotearoa. Come join us for a free writing workshop!

11/07/2025

Adaptive piano lessons with the Little Musical Caravan

We are sad to farewell Katherine Spinks from her role as piano tutor with the Little Musical Caravan. Katherine leaves us to pursue a full time role at Mana Pharmacy - just across the road from the Hub! So we know we will see her around. Wishing her all the best for this next chapter!

Our Director, Emily, will be stepping in to fill this role. Prior to retraining as a music therapist, Emily worked for 15+ years as an itinerant music teacher both in the UK and in NZ. She holds a Master of Music Therapy, a Certificate in Teaching (piano) from ABRSM, as well as a PhD in Theology!

Emily is passionate about supporting neurodivergent, disabled and diverse folk on their musical journey. Lessons are tailored to the individual, following their interests and with support scaffolded as necessary.

If you or your child are interested in accessible piano lessons, do get in touch: https://www.littlemusicalcaravan.co.nz/piano-lessons/

17/06/2025

School holidays are nearly here! Bookings open now:

💚💙🩵🎵🎵'Taster' sessions through Āhuru Mōwai Trust on Thursday evening, 10th July - subsidised cost of $15, including entry to Chipmunks for the whole whānau (2 spaces left)

💜🩷🧡🎵🎵 Music therapy trial sessions at Mana Therapy Hub in week 1 - 10% discount off our usual price.

Register your interest or contact us for more information: https://www.littlemusicalcaravan.co.nz/register-2/

16/06/2025

The Little Musical Caravan is turning 5!

5 years ago, on the 1st June 2020, the Little Musical Caravan made it's first trip on school site to St Theresa's School in Plimmerton! It's been quite a journey and I am so grateful to all the fabulous folk that have taken that journey with me.

We have celebrations planned through term 3, beginning with a piece of collaborative art. We will be emailing all past and present participants and their whānau to invite them to colour in a pōhutakawa bloom to add to our tree. There will also be an open morning at Mana Therapy Hub on Saturday 12th July if you would like to do this in person!

20/05/2025

Our friends at Porirua Montessori are having an open day this weekend - pop along and check it out. Such a neat little school which is super supportive for neurodivergent tamariki!

We are very excited to invite you to our open day!
->Saturday 24 May
Spaces available for 2025 and 2026
All welcome! Let us know you are coming poriruamontessori@gmail.com
Our primary and intermediate school tamariki:
🌏Have a small class size enabling amazing ratios. We get to know your child very well.
🌏 Use structured materials to help gain amazing literacy and numeracy results.
🌏Use self-correcting and self-selected work to help children see how they are progressing.
🌏 Have a curriculum underpinned by stories that capture their imagination to help bring literacy, numeracy and science to life.
🌏Opportunities for all children from age 5 to develop life skills through science, sewing, cooking and gardening.
🌏 Limited screen time. Screens are usually used for research or for intervention programmes.
🌏 Have lots of time to explore the arts and science.
🌏 Have kaiako who observe what the child is doing and choosing and adapt their teaching to meet the child’s needs.
🌏 Are free to choose where they sit and who they work with
🌏 Plan their own work day with guidance from the kaiako
🌏 Have a mixed aged classroom which gives opportunity to work and learn from others and grow in humility and leadership

20/05/2025

And the beat goes on... 🪘🪇🎸

'Taster' sessions in partnership with Āhuru Mōwai Trust are moving this week to Chipmunks in Tawa!

Where: Chipmunks, Outlet City, Main Road, Tawa.
When: Thursday evenings - Doors open at 5.30 pm and close at 8.00 pm

We are fully booked for our term 2 block of music therapy sessions, but we still have availability for one-off 'taster' sessions in the July school holidays. To register your interest: https://www.littlemusicalcaravan.co.nz/ahuru-mowai-trust/

13/05/2025

So excited to share this news from our friends at Āhuru Mōwai Trust! Our music therapy 'taster' sessions will continue at Chipmunks from next week!

💙💚🧡 🎉 Sensory Session Update 🎉🧡💚💙
We're delighted to announce that we'll be continuing our weekly Tuesday and Thursday sensory sessions at a new location from next week! The team at Chipmunks Playland Tawa will be hosting us starting next Tuesday 20th May 5:30pm - 8:00pm and Thursday 22nd May 5:30pm - 8:00pm. We'll still be offering the same therapy sessions with Dan from Brick Engaged (6:00pm - 7:30pm), and Deb from the Little Musical Caravan (6:00pm - 8:00pm) We hope that the earlier session times will mean more families can take advantage of these safe spaces. More details will follow about each event, so keep an eye out!

02/05/2025

A bitter sweet day here at the Little Musical Caravan as we farewell Registered Music Therapist Marianne Wren.

Marianne has been with the LMC for the past year, working with our tamariki at the Hub and on school site in Tawa and Churton Park, and last year travelling up to the Kāpiti Coast as well as covering our 'taster' sessions at Awesome Bounce.

Marianne, it has been an absolute joy to work with you - we will really miss you, but wish you all the best for your next adventure as you travel around Europe.

29/04/2025

So sad to see Awesome Bounce end, but our music therapy 'taster' sessions provided in partnership with Āhuru Mōwai Trust WILL CONTINUE. From 22nd May we will temporarily relocate to Mana Therapy Hub whilst the team at Āhuru Mōwai Trust find an alternative venue.

Awesome Bounce closes its doors in the middle of next month, and the LMC would just like to acknowledge how incredibly supportive Nate and his team have been in hosting us at Āhuru Mōwai Trust's sensory sessions. I know that the sensory sessions have been an incredibly valuable space for so many families navigating life with neurodiversity or kids with additional needs, including my (Emily's) own.

Wishing Nate and his team all the best for the next chapter.

Hi all

It is with deep sadness that we tonight announce that Awesome Bounce will close to the public for the last time on Sunday 18 May.

It was a VERY difficult decision to make, but with a number of challenges returning to pre-Covid levels, rising costs of most things (particularly over the past 2 years) and commercial rents at unprecedented levels for a business that needs a lot of space, we have decided the time has come, and the dream is over :(

I want to thank EVERYONE that has supported us for just over 7 years and kept us going as long as we have. From a dream to bring some fun to local kids at a reasonable price, we would like to think we have mostly achieved that. To all my awesome staff over the years, and my current team of superstars - thank you thank you thank you, I could not have done any of this without you, and sorry, we can't continue creating memories.

For all bookings past 18 May, please check your emails, I have reached out to you about full refunds. If you have not seen an email - please email us at parties@awesomebounce.co.nz.

Our Bouncy Castle hire business will continue to operate as normal.

Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart, for helping keep the dream alive for 7+ years.

Nate and the AB team

28/04/2025

We still have limited spaces available for term 2... Book a music therapy trial session now!

17/04/2025

Nice article in the Post this week by LMC Registered Music Therapist and Team Leader TJ Hernandez. Published as part of Music Therapy week, TJ shares some insights into his journey as a music therapist and explains why we do what we do. 🤩😍🤩
https://www.thepost.co.nz/culture/360652638/music-therapy-language-expression?fbclid=IwY2xjawJua6NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvLBt3_h0dg97fTWIfUoXCMcvGunA_jJCIUoEOkJQtv6X3rjONHLGkQlmISa_aem_qtCZFjJLJOiDQaTbhh6V5w

OPINION: The theme for this year’s Music Therapy Week, ‘celebrating diverse communities’, speaks to valuing identities and recognising other ways of self-expression.