The Importance of Music Therapy

CONTRIBUTORS: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JEANETTE TAMPLIN (UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE), DAVID WILLIAMS OAM (GIPPSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA), DR JAMES HULLICK (JOLT ARTS), AND TOMAS FITZGERALD (WELLBEING INSTRUMENTS)

In October 2024, legislative changes determined that Music and Art Therapy did not meet the evidence-based requirements for inclusion in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as a fully-funded therapeutic support. Despite meeting the criteria set by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for legitimate, evidence-based therapy, the future of Music and Art Therapy remains precarious. Following responses from practitioners in the field who use music and art as forms of therapy or inclusive education, a review was initiated to determine if Music and Art Therapy should remain fully-funded supports within NDIS after all. Led by Dr Stephen Duckett, the review commenced with a call for submissions from stakeholders - over 600 were received. The outcome of the review is expected on April 17.

For this article, we feature the voices of four different practitioners in the use of music in therapeutic or inclusive educational contexts: Associate Professor Jeanette Tamplin, Head of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne and past President of the Australian Music Therapy Association, David Williams, OAM, music educator for over 40 years and more recently a facilitator of music performance participation for adults with diverse needs, James Hullick, Director of Jolt Arts, who has worked with disabled adults in the music performance space for over --- years, and Tomas Fitzgerald, Director of Wellbeing Instruments, a music and special-needs educator who has recently turned to making instruments with an inclusive and therapeutic focus.

Assoc. Prof. Jeanette Tamplin demonstrating a music therapy gait rehabilitation technique with Music Therapy Masters student Stella Tan. Observing in the background are students Nicole Anderson and Yi Ern Eason Chen, and Music Therapy teaching staff Assoc. Prof. Grace Thompson and Dr Cindy Lai

In November 2024, AMTA was notified via a leak in November 2024 that music therapy would not be considered a ‘therapy’ under NDIS support – a decision that would affect thousands of participants and their families by preventing vital access to the therapeutic supports they need. Scores of NDIS participants, their families and music therapy professionals called on the government to take action and reverse the decision so that music therapy can continue to support participants until a review is completed. Star Aussie musicians from across the country also joined in unison to show support for music therapy urging that the decision be reversed.

In response to this public outrage and extensive advocacy efforts from AMTA, an independent reviewer (health economist Dr Stephen Duckett AM) was appointed in December 2024 to review the evidence case and pricing of music therapy under the NDIS. In February 2025, AMTA presented a comprehensive submission to the Independent Review outlining the academic and practical research evidence for music therapy, including peer reviewed literature, de-identified evaluation reports, and clinical evidence demonstrating the multiple ways that music therapy develops functioning for people with a disability. The music therapy community and NDIS participants and their families eagerly await the outcome of this independent review in mid-March 2025, with the hope that the original aim of the NDIS, to prioritise participant choice for evidence-based therapies, is honoured.

Music Therapy Masters student Lachlan Meagher practising a music therapy gait rehabilitation technique with co-student Stella Tan and receiving feedback from Assoc. Prof Jeanette Tamplin. Dr Cindy Lai is pictured observing in the background.

Jeanette Tamplin

ASSOC. PROF., HEAD OF MUSIC THERAPY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, PAST PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC THERAPY ASSOCIATION

Music therapy is an evidence-based allied health profession with Master’s level training courses at The University of Melbourne and Western Sydney University. It is defined by the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) as “the intentional and therapeutic use of music by registered music therapists (RMTs) to support people to improve their health, functioning and wellbeing.” Music therapists support people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to improve their health outcomes, experiences and quality of life, and work in across a range of settings, including health, aged care, mental health, disability, education, community and population health, rehabilitation, private practice, community development, youth services and the justice system. They have unique knowledge of how music impacts complex neurological structures and behaviours and understanding and skills regarding the therapeutic use of music to deliver clinical and evidenced-based interventions to promote, treat, and prevent decline in individuals’ physical, psychological, cognitive, or behavioural skills and function.

Music Therapy Masters student Yi Ern Eason Chen is improvising on a djembe drum with Assoc. Prof. Jeanette Tamplin who is playing an ‘Otamatone’ digital synthesizer instrument.

Music Therapy Masters student Stella Tan is improvising on the piano with teacher Dr Cindy Lai.

Associate Professor Jeanette Tamplin, Head of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne and past President of the Australian Music Therapy Association, leads a team of 16 music therapy academics. The University of Melbourne Music Therapy department has a world leading reputation for high quality music therapy research and is the most productive institution globally in terms of music therapy publications [1].
[1] Li, K., Weng, L., & Wang, X. (2021). The state of music therapy studies in the past 20 years: a bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 2168.

David Williams OAM

MUSIC EDUCATOR FOR OVER 40 YEARS, DAVID RECENTLY MOVED INTO THE VOLUNTEER SPACE, WORKING WITH DISABLED ADULTS IN THE COMMUNITY

After 40+ years in music education, in 2024 I decided to move to volunteer work, teaching drama and music to a disability performing arts group. Based at Life Skills Moe, Victoria, I joined a friend of mine, Kate, who was the drama teacher to work with the group and help them put together a show. The group welcomed me with open arms, and we began our journey. My role was confined to the morning with a focus on singing, however, it wasn't long before it morphed into a full day’s work.

I led the group in composition activities, using the names of members in the group to teach rhythms i.e., Kate = crotchet, Lincoln = quavers etc. The participants took to this task with great enthusiasm, and played their compositions to simple backing tracks I made on Sibelius for them.

To see how engaged they were with the task and how proud they were of their work - and the work of others in their group - was very pleasing to see. The management of the organisation came along to see our progress, and were delighted to see the group members working independently and cooperatively to realise the composition.

My colleague Kate and I guided the group toward the developmet of improvisations, songs, composition, journalling, drawing, and drama games to develop their confidence and social skills. We wrote a play based on what they would be in they were a magical creature. We had dragons, dancing fairies, "Count von Count Teacher", and eagles. The script was developed through their journal writings and workshop rehearsals.

The end of year performance was a real highlight. We performed twice to a sold-out theatre in Traralgon and I learned that whilst society might view these people as having a disability, I can only see ability. The empathy, compassion and care they showed me at the time of my mother’s passing was very moving and greatly appreciated. There is no "dis" in ability if you focus on what they can do.

Music and drama gave these performers a safe and encouraging environment to express themselves, learn things about themselves and others. Through the creative arts, Kate and I were able to give the Life Skills group an experience that mainstream people can at times take for granted.

It was a pleasure and honour to have been a part of their journey.

James Hullick

DR. JAMES HULLICK IS THE CEO OF JOLT ARTS, A REGISTERED CHARITABLE ORGANISATION THAT SUPPORTS SONIC AND VISUAL ARTS CREATION AND PRESENTATION

In recent years Australian federal governments have overseen one of human history’s great revelations: the accessible nation. They have done this through the National Disability & Insurance Scheme. While there have been many challenges with this scheme, it should first be seen for what it truly is: a moment in history when people with disabilities were provided access to equality in society.

Here we should note that other countries have their own systems. But these comments are not about them. They are about us.

JOLT Arts is a charitable organisation that supports avant garde sound makers and other artists to follow their career pathways. I founded the organisation in 2008 while working at Footscray Community Arts (FCA) as a mentor for artists with disabilities and at the same time, completing my doctorate at RMIT University School of Art.

Both institutions became mentors to myself and JOLT Arts, with FCA incubating the organisation to work with artists with disabilities: a process that began well before the NDIS.

JOLT became an interabilities organisation supporting artists with and without disabilities.

The results of this agenda have been remarkable. Very early on in the development of the organisation, it became very clear that artists with disabilities, and specifically, neurodiversities, required mentored pathways into the music and arts industries. These industries are brutally competitive, and generally exist despite the realities of economics.

Career pathways are crucial for the communities of disabilities. Many Australians see the right to work and contribute to society as one of their fundamental rights. Yet this right has been denied to many people with disability in Australia. Through work, many Australians build active lives full of self worth and positive life engagement.

The impacts of work for JOLT’s artists with disabilities has been profound, and fundamentally therapeutic for their well being and sense of autonomy.

The Amplified Elephants, recipients of Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Work at the 2022 Music Victoria Awards. From left to right: Jay Euesden, Esther Tuddenham, Daniel Munnery, Megan Hunter, Alison Chu, and James Hullick.

Because of the intricacies of the creative industries it is extremely difficult for organisations that purely support disability to build pathways into the industry. The reason for this is that you have to be able to battle it out on the high seas of the arts before you can presume to offer meaningful opportunities to artists - with or without disabilities.

JOLT ongoingly navigates these very same high seas of creativity and as we do so, we interweave artists and arts workers with disabilities into our crews.

The Noise Scavengers, an avant garde band with neurodiversities, travelled to Japan in 2024 to perform at the YPAM Festival with Japanese vocal legend Tomomi Adachi. They then toured in Australia in 2025.

In 2022, The Amplified Elephants, a sound art ensemble, won the avant garde division for Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Work 2022 at the Music Victoria Awards.

This award was in an open category – not a category for disabilities.

The key message is this: the arts and specifically music industries should be supported and encouraged by the NDIS to nurture artists with disabilities. In so doing, we create cultures of work and wellbeing. When people with disabilities are working, they are contributing to the productivity of the nation. When they contribute to that productivity, they are generating cash flow and economic activity, which can then be used to further stabilise the large costs of the NDIS.

The solution to the challenges is not to decrease its cost, but to establish ways in which the NDIS budget can be more self-sustaining.

A truly accessible nation should be a more productive nation. Accessibility when done properly should increase citizen wealth.

Tomas Fitzgerald

TOMAS FITZGERALD IS A MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, AND EDUCATOR OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. HE HAS SINCE PIVOTED TO BUILDING SENSORY IDIOPHONES, FOUNDING THE COMPANY WELLBEING INSTRUMENTS.

During my time in special education, I was a teacher to students with multiple profound intellectual and physical disabilities. Perhaps my biggest take away was the importance of enabling students to be in a position where they are "ready to learn", a concept that I have found just as relevant to mainstream education settings.

These remarkable students I taught while working in special education had widely varying challenges. Their educational and personal goals were equally diverse. However, they shared a common thread: an authentic engagement with music.

Many of the students were able to utilise the expertise of music therapists within the school environment and families chose to access music therapy at home, as it was widely considered a crucial support to their development.

It is my view that losing the ability to access funding to secure this type of support would likely hinder student progress in terms of individual and social engagement, emotional and sensory regulation, and communication development.

The experiences I had with these students were the impetus for founding Wellbeing Instruments, a company dedicated to creating accessible musical instruments to support student wellbeing. It was a natural and worthy progression, as music had played such an important role in contributing towards not only my students’ learning but also their enjoyment at school - their readiness to learn.

Calming music would welcome students back to our classroom from the ever-hectic lunch breaks and I would observe the heightened states of students slow and resolve to a more peaceful pace appropriate for learning. Not only did music help to create an environment which was calm, safe and welcoming, but it also served as a cue for these students that learning would soon resume. This in turn helped them to adopt routines that fostered a sense of reliability in the structure of their day.

In combination with other strategies, music also served as a tool to assist students’ sensory regulation. Much like drawing a curtain, I witnessed students become liberated, revealing the conscious communicator waiting patiently behind a veil of sensory needs.

In my experience, music provides an engaging and empowering pathway to learning.

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