Music Therapy Services for Children, Adults and Families in Port Macquarie

What is Music Therapy?

Music Therapy is a research driven, evidence-based profession that uses music to build skills, improve functioning and increase your overall ability to connect and relate to yourself and the world around you.

Music therapy is delivered by Registered Music Therapists (RMTs), who are university trained and regulated by the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA). We possess a comprehensive understanding of how music impacts cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and neurological change and draw on this to improve functional outcomes.

At Integrated Music therapy, we are passionate about working in partnership with you and the support network around you. Identifying your strengths, needs and goals together and how exploring music can be applied to help you access greater health and wellbeing.

Our Services

Music Therapy is grounded in research, evidence and an understanding of the neuroscience of music and how it impacts our daily functioning. This expertise is reflected in all of our service offerings. All services are personalised to target specific needs or requirements and are facilitated by our experienced Registered Music Therapist, Brooke Medcalf.

Individual Sessions

Our services include individual therapy sessions with people of all ages and abilities, applying a range of evidence-based interventions adapted to each person's needs and interests. Sessions may be held in your home, school or other every day community setting.

Parent, Caregiver and Educator Support

At IMT we are passionate about building skill and confidence not only within our participants but also those who care for them. For this reason, we offer 1:1 parent, caregiver or educator support and training, aiming to build capacity and confidence using music-based methods to support development and increase skills. Weaving music into everyday tasks is a powerful way to build connection and create moments of calm and playfulness, ultimately making it easier for us to learn, consolidate skills, follow directions or transition between environments.

Workshops and Training

We provide workshops and professional development opportunities for your workplace or organisation. These workshops can target the client base you work with, offering education about the inclusion of music-based practices or strategies to address a variety of needs. Examples might include organisations that provide services for children, early education and intervention, disability care, mental health, older adults and dementia.

Who We Work With

We offer individual therapy sessions with people of all ages and abilities. No musical background is necessary; we support and shape your interaction with music in a way that's right for you.

Children & Families

Firmly grounded in neurologic research, children are welcomed into an environment that prioritises their sensory needs and incorporates their interests ensuring they feel calm, safe and ready to learn. From this place, we look to address the unique needs of the child. So, whether we want to improve speech and communication skills, build social connections, learn new things, support mood or find more stability in the body, music therapy can help!

Adults & Teens

Evidence based music therapy practices encourage self-discovery, confidence and emotional growth, allowing you to explore and express what’s meaningful to you when words aren’t available or aren’t enough.

Older Adults & Dementia

Music therapy strengthens memory recall and cognitive functions. It enhances connectedness with family members, reduces frustration and isolation, increases self-awareness, and can provide relief from pain and discomfort.

Music Therapy and the NDIS

Music Therapy is an approved NDIS Allied Health support listed under the support cluster “Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living”.

The NDIS recognises music therapy as an effective service as it targets improving and building necessary skills that assist in everyday life.

NDIS participants CAN use their NDIS funds to access music therapy, when it is provided by a Registered Music Therapist (Registered with the Australian Music Therapy Association).

If you are told otherwise, then please contact us and we will happily provide clarification or support you in advocating for its inclusion into your team of Allied Health/Therapy supports.

If you have any questions or are simply curious to know more, please get in touch.

Get in Touch

“Songs express who we are and how we feel, they bring us closer to others, they keep us company when we are alone.

They articulate our beliefs and values, and they bear witness to our lives... They are our musical diaries, our life stories. They are the sounds of our personal development”.

- Dr. Kenneth Bruscia

Brooke Medcalf

Director | Registered Music Therapist

MMusthy, BMus, NMT

Brooke has been a practising Registered Music Therapist since 2015 , with further accreditation as a Neurologic Music Therapist and has experience working in a range of clinical environments across the lifespan. She holds a Masters in Music Therapy from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Music from the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.

Brooke combines professional expertise with a compassionate, playful and curious approach, striving to build skills and foster personal insight and growth for people of all ages and neurological expressions. Showing up with curiosity allows her to be authentically responsive and adaptive to individualised needs and preferences along the way.

Brooke works closely and dynamically with other allied health professionals and specialists in achieving the best outcomes for her clients. She is also passionate about educating parents, caregivers and support providers about ways of using music to impact growth, development, learning and improve relationships.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can benefit from music therapy?

Anyone can benefit from music therapy. As Registered music therapists’, we have a comprehensive understanding of how to assess your needs, apply music to facilitate emotional, cognitive, physical, social and neurological change and how to evaluate the ongoing impact and effectiveness of this approach in your everyday life.

What does music therapy help with?

Music Therapy can improve our functional skills, increase independence in daily activities, strengthen language and communication, emotional regulation, self-identity mobility and movement and interpersonal interactions within the community.

How are music therapy sessions conducted?

Individual sessions are held one-on-one and are tailored to meet the individual needs of each client. When working with children, we value collaboration with the child or parent/caregiver and encourage their active participation. However, if for reasons pertaining to the child's needs, if not engaged in the session, a responsible adult will always be required to stay onsite.

What can I expect from a music therapy session?

You can expect a supportive and engaging environment where music is used as a tool to achieve therapeutic goals. Sessions may include creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music, depending on individual goals and preferences.

Do I need to have musical experience?

You don’t need any musical experience, skill or instruments to gain benefits from Music Therapy. Your interaction with music will be shaped and supported in a way that’s right for you.

Do you teach music lessons?

Music therapy differs to music lessons in that music education aims to improve musical skill, whereas the main focus of music therapy is to improve non-musical skills such as fine motor skills, self-regulation, speech or social communication, for example.

In some cases, however, traditional music lessons may not be accessible or appropriate for an individual, yet their desire to experience using a particular instrument is directly related to their personal goals and passions.

In these situations “adapted music lessons” can be offered. This is where we would modify elements of a standard music lesson to make them more accessible, in close consideration of existing barriers and desired personal outcomes. These sessions would also be held at a pace and in such a way that is specifically adapted to their needs.

Simply increasing someone's ability to functionally access musical instruments can open up new ways of relating to people around them and provide a whole other avenue for self-expression (particularly where words are not available or feel inadequate).

How do I book an appointment?

You can contact us directly through our website's contact form, send us an email, or call us at the provided phone number. We recommend reaching out with any initial questions you may have, and to discuss availability and specific needs. Once you contact us, Brooke will respond to arrange an initial consultation and discuss how music therapy could benefit you or your family member.

Contact

To learn more or inquire about making an appointment, please call 0459 276 659 or email [email protected]

New Clients

Please fill in the client intake form below

Intake Form

Connect with Integrated Music Therapy

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we live and work, the Birpai people, and recognise their continuing connection to Country. We pay our respect to Elders, past, present and emerging, and through them to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.