Australian Music Therapy Association

25/03/2026

AMTA member Dr Zara Thompson RMT offered subject matter expertise to ABC Radio National's recent piece about how music therapy can help people living with dementia.

"We know that music is a really powerful stimulus for people with dementia because music is processed in the whole brain," she said. "If people are experiencing damage to parts of their brain due to dementia, they can still process and engage in music."

As well as being a registered music therapist and researcher at University of Melbourne, Zara is a member of Dementia Inclusive Choirs Australia - visit their website to find a choir near you.

Listen to the story:
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/am/dementia-friendly-choirs-/106423654

More than 400,000 Australians are living with dementia, a number expected to rise sharply in coming decades.

20/03/2026

For people who are non-verbal, one way of communicating is pointing to letters to spell out a message.

The movement required for pointing to a communication board can be difficult. It means coordinating your eyes and hands to work together, and there's pressure not to make mistakes and be misunderstood.

Maintaining regulation is important - something music therapy can help with. Registered music therapists work with timing and controlled movement to help people with disability to communicate.

Would you like to learn more? Check out this video presentation by Rebecca Eager NMT RMT.

"My job is to use music therapy and neurologic music therapy techniques - and the most up-to-date, latest information I can from neuroscience - to help patients get to the point where they can communicate their thoughts, where they are regulated, where they are safe to express frustration, where they are understood and accepted."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt3CYBDkZ94

📷 In a music therapy session, registered music therapist Rebecca Eager guides a patient to tap musical bells in sequence.

18/03/2026

How does care ethics apply to music therapy higher education? In the latest edition of the Australian Journal of Music Therapy, academic leaders Allison Fuller from Western Sydney University and Grace Thompson from University of Melbourne propose that the responsibility of care is shared across the community of music therapy educators.

Their article gives first-hand insight into decisions that shape students’ experiences and influence the music therapy profession.

Congratulations to the authors on a valuable contribution to scholarship on music therapy education.

🔗 Read the article: https://www.austmta.org.au/australian-journal-of-music-therapy/read/volume-361-2025/care-ethics-in-music-therapy-higher-education/
🔗 Explore volume 36(1): https://www.austmta.org.au/australian-journal-of-music-therapy/read/

Source: Fuller, A. & Thompson, G. (2025). Care ethics in music therapy higher education: Shared care across the community of music therapy educators. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 36(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.65328/2025.pgyc2362


📷 Headshots of Dr Allison Fuller PhD RMT and A/Prof Grace Thompson RMT, with their names written below. Text: "Care ethics in music therapy higher education." The Australian Journal of Music Therapy logo.

12/03/2026

Studying music therapy this year? Welcome and congratulations! Did you know you can join your professional association as a student member?

Access the people, resources and conversations that shape music therapy in Australia by joining the Australian Music Therapy Association as a student member, for:
✔️ discounts to events
✔️ exclusive industry news
✔️ access to job ads and our supportive online community and more.

The $50 fee covers your whole degree: you won’t pay again until you've graduated and you're ready to become a registered music therapist.

To learn more, visit the AMTA website and tap 'Register and join'.

📷 Flyer featuring an image of an RMT working with a person with disability, and an RMT working with an older person. Text reflected in the caption, headed "Music therapy students... it's time to join your professional association." AMTA logo and branding.

10/03/2026

Music therapy can transform the lives of people living in aged care - from encouraging mobility to fostering community and more.

For an intimate look into how music therapy improves health outcomes, you're invited to spend time with Hilary Camino MSc MT-BC as she helps residents of an aged care home in Wyoming to navigate the hurdles of ageing.

It's a beautiful documentary by PBS, that shows how music therapy helps people reach non-musical goals, from emotional to social to physical to cognitive.

"If I'm playing the drum, it looks like we're just having fun .... which is why it works - because it's distracting people from the work that they're doing. What I'm really working on is posture or core strength or motor skills ... what's happening in the session will improve what's happening in their daily lives."

In America, the Certification Board for Music Therapists takes care of the registration and regulation of professional music therapists, who are called board-certified music therapists.

In Australia, that role is filled by the Australian Music Therapy Association. Our registered music therapists work in hospitals, aged care, disability services, private clinics, childcare centres and schools, the community sector and anywhere else you'd expect to find allied health professionals working together to improve health and wellbeing.

https://www.pbs.org/video/something-changed-in-the-room-zukcic/?source=social&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwOGWNpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5CGNhbGxzaXRlAjI1AAEeVi9BRhkH5x7gn3WLPCwlvwRaeXgIPSc0VuHmHPFT8fLPgApZZYyJ2wy08mo_aem_ZDUemm5j3jDi05teORKd

Join a board-certified music therapist as she helps seniors navigate the many hurdles of aging.

05/03/2026

To work in allied health, thousands of students must complete hundreds of hours of unpaid prac work. It's placing real pressure on students - including music therapy students, who we want to qualify as registered music therapists and join their allied health colleagues in hospitals, clinics, schools and other workplaces.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment covers some allied health professions - but not all. That's why AMTA supports Allied Health Professions Australia's petition to expand the Commonwealth Prac Payment to all allied health students.

Since launching just last month, the petition already has more than 21,500 signatures.

Add your name today to support the push to end placement poverty for allied health students. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/expand-prac-payments-to-allied-health-and-medical-students?source=direct_link&

📷 Text: "Placement poverty affects all allied health students. Sign the petition today!" AHPA logo. Image of university students in a lecture hall.

03/03/2026

For Keira, who lives with a complex disability and is non-speaking, music therapy has become a powerful channel for self-expression and communication.

She's working with registered music therapist Becca Johnson RMT on songwriting; Becca says that when Keira communicates her preferences in their therapy sessions, she's also practising communication skills that carry over into daily life - like choosing her clothes. "It’s empowering her to make more independent choices."

Read more about Keira's music therapy journey: https://catholicleader.com.au/news/music-lifts-keiras-heart-at-xavier-place/

REGISTERED music therapist Becca Johnson says music unlocks opportunities for young people like Keira staying at Xavier Place in Yeerongpilly. For Keira, who lives with a complex disability, music therapy has become a powerful channel for self-expression and communication. She says songwriting proje...

26/02/2026

The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is seeking experienced, independent professionals to volunteer for its Complaints Assessors Pool.

Independent assessors ensure complaints are assessed with fairness, independence and appropriate expertise. Independent assessors are not registered music therapists or AMTA members. They volunteer with AMTA's Ethics Committee and other members of the Complaints Assessors Pool.

The appointments are part of the association's continued commitment to strengthening regulatory governance and aligning with evolving professional standards.

Learn more about the role: https://www.austmta.org.au/news-item/22306/amta-seeks-independent-complaints-assessors


📷 Text: "Volunteer callout: Complaints Assessor Pool". A bright and cheerful room, with musical instruments, artwork, plants and books.

25/02/2026

For parents who have spent time in NICU, the days can feel long, uncertain and overwhelming. Every moment of connection matters.

Miracle Babies Foundation gently captures the role a registered music therapist can play in neonatal care - supporting babies' neurodevelopment and helping parents to connect with their newborn.

"Medical procedures and the neonatal unit environment can be stressful for babies," Miracle Babies Foundation writes. "Music therapy may help reduce signs of pain, stabilise heart rate and improve oxygen saturation."

"Music therapy provides opportunities for parents to connect with their baby through voice, song and rhythm, which can strengthen bonding and reduce stress for both parent and baby."

🔗 Read the resource: https://www.miraclebabies.org.au/content/music-therapy/gntooo

📷 An adult hand carefully touches the head of a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit.

24/02/2026

Allied Health Professions Australia, together with allied health peak bodies including the Australian Music Therapy Association, has released a joint statement on the government’s new NDIS framework, which comes into effect in July 2026.

It’s an important read for anyone working alongside NDIS participants.

A statement from Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) and the allied health peak associations, in response to the Australian Government’s new framework planning for the NDIS, scheduled to commence in July 2026. We recognise that changes to NDIS planning are causing concern for many partici

19/02/2026

How does music therapy help autistic young people? The latest edition of the Australian Journal of Music Therapy spotlights Music and Friends, a telehealth program for autistic young people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group music-making sessions promoted social interaction, emotional expression and communication skills. Rich with case examples, the article also includes real-life reflections from both the registered music therapist and participants.

Congratulations to Cheryl Yin Mei Mow of The Learning Connection, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on this valuable contribution to the evidence base.

🔗 Read the article: https://www.austmta.org.au/australian-journal-of-music-therapy/read/volume-361-2025/music-friends-telehealth-for-autistic-young-people/

🔗 Explore volume 36(1): https://lnkd.in/gxX-CcAR

Source: Mow, C. Y. M. (2025). “Music and friends”: Telehealth group music therapy for autistic young people in Malaysia. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 36(1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.65328/2025.lcat7677


📷 Headshot of Cheryl Yin Mei Mow, with her name written below. Text: "Music therapy for autistic young people." The Australian Journal of Music Therapy logo.

17/02/2026

What does a music therapy session look like? And what's actually happening to improve health outcomes?

Let's look through the microscope with clinician Rebecca Eager RMT NMT.

At AMTA's 50th anniversary event, Rebecca took us inside some of her real-life music therapy sessions. She talked us through some of the specialised techniques that registered music therapists use to help their patients with self-regulation, movement, communication and more.

And now you're invited to view this terrific presentation that uses everyday language and real-life case studies to show some of the ways music therapy changes lives.

Thanks to Rebecca for sharing your work and expertise, and to your patients for sharing their stories.

📹 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt3CYBDkZ94


📷 Rebecca Eager holding her guitar and smiling at the camera. Text: "What does a music therapy session look like? Behind the scenes with Rebecca Eager NMT RMT." AMTA's 50th anniversary logo.