Yes! Music therapy is an evidence-based allied health profession, and is a member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Although everyone will respond differently, music therapy has been found to make a real difference for people experiencing a range of difficulties from many backgrounds. Read more about what music therapy can do here. https://www.austmta.org.​

Research has shown that music therapy can help people in many ways:

Music therapy improves mental health and wellbeing

Research has shown that music therapy can improve mental health and wellbeing. It can help:

• Reduce anxiety or stress
• Regulate moods and energy levels
• Increase motivation
• Manage anger and frustration
• Manage challenging behaviour.
   

Music therapy improves speech, communication and social skills

Research has shown that music therapy can improve speech, communication and social skills. It can help:

• Improve verbal and non-verbal communication
• Improve physical speech function
• Increase social communication skills
• Increase social interaction
• Increase independence
• Give positive and new ways to deal with situations.
   

Music therapy improves body movement, coordination and physical function

Research has shown that music therapy can improve body movement, coordination and physical function. It can help:

• Improve gross motor function and control
• Gross motor skills are the larger movements you make with your arms legs, feet, or entire body.
• Improve fine motor function and control
• Fine motor skills are the smaller movements you make using your wrists, hands, fingers, feet and toes.
• Improve balance
• Increase physical independence
• Help regulate heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure
• Improve respiratory muscle strength and control
• Improve sleep.
   

Music therapy improves memory, attention and cognitive function

Research has shown that music therapy can improve memory, attention and cognitive function. It can help:

• Increase core executive functions: self-awareness, inhibition, non-verbal and verbal working memory, emotional self-regulation, self-motivation, planning and problem solving
• Increase memory and attention.
   

Music therapy improves pain management

Research has shown that music therapy can improve the body’s ability to deal with pain. It can help:

• Reduce pain perception by increasing the body’s production of natural pain killers.

Support faster recovery from medical procedures.

Music therapy can help support people of any age who might be experiencing challenges (including mental, intellectual, physical, emotional or social) or wishing to improve their well-being.

Music therapy is often used to address a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, behaviour, communication and movement including:

• Autism
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety
• Cancer
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Eating disorders
• Personality disorders
• Physical disabilities
• Dementia
• Stroke
• Spinal cord injury
• Neurodegenerative conditions.
   

Music therapy can also be used in hospitals and health care centres to help patients deal with stress, discomfort and pain. It is used to help patients who have:

• Cancer and diseases of the blood and bone marrow
• Advanced diseases that have little or no chance of cure or recovery
• Experienced a stroke or brain injury
• Mental health illnesses
• Had surgery or other medical procedures.
   

Where is music therapy used?

Music therapy is used in many settings such as:

• Hospitals
• Schools
• Residential aged care homes
• Palliative care facilities
• Disability care facilities
• Community health programs
• Child care centres
• Prisons and detention centres

Private practice.

Music therapy is different to music lessons and music entertainment in that:

• The main goal of music therapy is not musical, for example, to improve fine motor skills, speech or communication skills. Musical experiences are used to achieve non-musical goals. For example, motivating people to use their fingers or to respond to music emotionally and physically. The added benefits of music therapy are musical, and often include opportunities for musical participation.
• The main goal of music lessons is music focused. For example, to learn how to play a musical instrument, sing or read music. The added benefits of music lessons are not musical, and may include improved confidence, focus and fine motor skills.

The main goal of music entertainment is entertainment. For example, a person listens to music or watches a concert to be entertained. It is a passive experience that involves listening to or participating in a musical activity. The added benefits of music entertainment can be the relaxation, thrill or an emotional feeling from the experience

A music therapy session occurs face-to-face either in person or online. Music therapists use a range of music therapy methods. They tailor each session to the needs of the person. A session may include:

• Listening to music played by the music therapist.
• Listening to recorded music.
• Making music by playing an instrument or singing.
• Using or writing lyrics and songs.
• Getting resources and activities to do outside of your music therapy session.
   

To maximise the benefit of your music therapy, Registered Music Therapists try to understand your situation and goals. This can involve working closely with your family, carers and other health professionals such as:

• Occupational therapists
• Speech therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Neurologists and

Doctors.

Registered Music Therapists are not only skilled musicians, they are trained in understanding the effects music experiences can have on behaviours, feelings, thoughts and actions. Music therapists use their therapy training and musical ability to facilitate interactive musical experiences to help clients achieve goals. These goals may include improved communication, cognition, physical function, mood, wellbeing, and/or spiritual goals.

A Registered Music Therapist (RMT) is a music therapist who is registered with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA). To be eligible to register with AMTA, a Registered Music Therapist needs to complete a certified university course in music therapy and maintain their skills through ongoing professional development as approved by the AMTA.

Currently in Australia, music therapy training is at a master’s level and courses are offered at The University of Melbourne and The Western Sydney University. The course is two years full time.

To enter the master’s course, students must have completed an undergraduate degree in music or a related health profession with demonstrated high level musical skills.

One of the ways music therapy has been funded for many of our clients over the past few years is through the Australian Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The NDIS is for eligible Australians who were either born with or acquire a permanent and significant disability. A ‘permanent disability’ means a person’s disability is likely to be lifelong. A ‘significant disability’ means a disability with a large impact on a person’s ability to complete everyday activities.

Music therapy is recognised as a support for “Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living” through the NDIS as it targets improving and building the necessary skills that assist in everyday life.

Music therapy is a research-based practice and deemed as an essential service (particularly during COVID), providing opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in improving their well-being through the naturally social medium of music.

The NDIS recognises music therapy as an effective service and has significantly improved access for the broader community.

This can include, however is not limited to:

• Language and communication skills: improving speech, language and sound processing, and nonverbal communication using a PODD (or Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display), signing, or other
• Gross and fine motor skills: coordination, body awareness, and mobility
• Social skills: turn taking, sharing, waiting
• Mental health support: developing coping resources, supporting healthy self-expression, and exploring and processing thoughts, feelings, and emotions

To provide music therapy services in Australia (and receive funding from the NDIS), music therapists must be registered with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA).

This requires a tertiary degree in music therapy, currently offered as a Masters level degree in Australia, as well as meeting the AMTA requirements such as placement experience, subject knowledge, a Police Check, along with ongoing professional development.

A Registered Music Therapist (RMT) is trained in using music to support non-musical goals that support and improve the physical, emotional, psychological wellbeing of people of all ages and diagnoses. When an RMT meets a new client, they conduct a thorough assessment on their:

• Motor skills
• Communication and language skills
• Cognitive skills
• Social/emotional skills
• Sensory needs

After the assessment period, our RMTs will set goals and objectives that align with the client’s NDIS goals to support them in providing consistent and holistic therapy.

A support plan is often written in conjunction with the therapy goals to provide evidence for how our RMTs will approach working towards the goals outlining various music therapy techniques. Once the music therapy program has commenced, our RMTs will document progress after each session and will report to the client, family, or support system.

This often occurs annually through a music therapy progress report directed to the NDIS to provide evidence for how music therapy has supported the continued building of daily living skills.

To find out more about music therapy and the NDIS please visit:

Australian Music Therapy Association

What is Music Therapy   
National Disability Insurance Scheme

National Disability Insurance Scheme

Supports funded by the NDIS

Supports and services funded by the NDIS