News archive 2006

This section archives our news items that are now not current. Enjoy the history!!

2006 Open Day at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre

Posted 15 November 2006

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia is pleased to announce an Open Day at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre to mark the International Day of People with a DisAbility.

Designated by the United Nations, International Day of People with a DisAbility is always celebrated on 3 December. Our celebration will take place on Friday 1 December 2006 to not only acknowledge this special day, but to showcase the work of the Centre through a range of musical performances and presentations by music therapists and clients from disability programs, schools and community organisations. We are inviting all members of the public to come along and see music therapy live in action.

The day begins at 10 am, with the formal proceedings taking place at 12.30pm by Professor Janice Reid, Vice-Chancellor, University of Western Sydney. There is also a sausage sizzle plus a few special guests from the music industry, including the well-known and loved singer-songwriter Jenny Morris plus one of Australia’s great jazz pianists, Kevin Hunt. It is a day not to be missed!

Where: Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre, University of Western Sydney, Building E, Second Avenue, Kingswood

Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm (official opening 12.30pm)
A sausage sizzle and refreshments will be provided

RSVP: Tel: 02 4736 0240 or email: musictherapy@uws.edu.au


Additional information

For the third year running, the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) is promoting Don’t DIS my ABILITY, a thought-provoking campaign recognising that people with a disability are major achievers in our community in all aspects of daily life.

Funded by the NSW Government and organised by DADHC, International Day of People with a Disability is part of a worldwide celebration designated by the United Nations. 2006 also marks the 25th anniversary since the International Year of Disabled Persons.

Celebrating the music therapy in high schools project

PRESS RELEASE
Posted 28 September 2006

At the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre on Thursday 21 September 2006 three groups of high school students celebrated the end of a community-based music therapy project. During the two-year duration, there has been much progress in the ability of these students to socially relate within a group setting, to play music in a group and to move through the effects of negative experiences in their own lives.

A project of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, which manages the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre (GSMTC) on the University of Western Sydney’s Penrith Campus at Kingswood, the Music Therapy in High Schools Outreach Project is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) under its Quality Outcomes Program that focuses on working with students in high schools who are experiencing unsuccessful outcomes within the education system.

Beginning in mid-2004, the project is now drawing to an end, and the concert on 21 September was held to celebrate the musical journey that has been undertaken since the start of the project, and to pay tribute to all the participants who have opened themselves to being involved in this journey.

Registered Music Therapists Joanne McIntyre and Christine Morson have been with the project since its inception. This year, along with UWS Master of Creative Music Therapy student Steve Cocking, they have been working with students from Kingswood High School, Nepean High School and Penrith Adolescent Centre, a unit of Blaxland High School, with the enthusiastic and much-appreciated support of the principals and staff of each school.

Christine Morson commented that: “Research has indicated that if the needs of students described as being at risk of underachieving socially and academically are acknowledged and met adequately, the potential to succeed can be realised, resulting in adults with greater self-esteem and better work-force qualifications.”

Joanne McIntyre added that: “With the announcement recently that twelve new ‘behaviour units/schools’ are going to be opened in NSW in 2007, focusing on students who are experiencing difficulties within the government education system is timely and expedient. Music therapy may help reduce the magnitude of many issues faced by these students in a non-confronting way. As music is a major part of an adolescent’s life, it seems a logical medium to be used in intervention for this population group. Literature indicates that skills and abilities experienced through the discipline of music can transfer to study skills, communication skills and also improved academic achievement. Music therapy in an educational setting can therefore contribute significantly to an individual’s motivation and ability to learn when coupled with the interventions and methods used by teaching staff in the school.”

Peta Williams, general manager of Nordoff-Robbins and the GSMTC, said: “Music therapy can help contribute to a positive self-concept – the view we each hold of who we are - and improve self-esteem.

“This celebration event proves to everyone how far these young people have come under the DEST program. It is an enormous thing for these teenagers to perform so well in front of this large group,” Ms Williams said.

The touching lyrics of the song “Hope and Dreams and Support Teams”, penned by Kingswood High School students, expressed their frustrations “don’t talk down to me”, their life goals “getting a job, a driver’s licence” and their feelings for their families.

Shy smiles grew to proud grins as each of the groups responded to the rousing applause from the elated audience.

“These wonderful young people, through their music-making, have found a way to express themselves and have worked consistently in achieving this. To see their pride in their own achievements is beyond words,” Joanne McIntyre said.

“A measure of the success of our music therapy program can be seen through changes in student behaviour, dress and conduct, in the development in their self-esteem and confidence, and in an increased ability to focus and concentrate”, commented Christine Morson.

Ms Williams paid tribute to all those involved in the Project: “from the visionary program instigators at the GSMTC, to the Australian Government and DEST who believed in what we were trying to achieve, to the staff and principals of the schools who joined us in this pilot, the students and their families, and our wonderful music therapists.”

Particular thanks “for their faith in this Project” went to the Member for Lindsay, Mrs Jackie Kelly, who represented the Minister for Education at the event. And heartfelt appreciation also went to Penrith City Council, represented by senior executives Steve Hackett, Gary Dean and Barry Husking, for its “amazing support for the Centre since it opened in 2001”.

With the conclusion of the current round of government funding, the Centre is actively working to raise further funding from Government and the corporate sponsorship to continue this valuable work.

“It would be wonderful to have local Penrith businesses supporting the programs at these schools to benefit our community across greater western Sydney,” Ms Williams said.

Photograph: Students from Kingswood High School

2006 Australian Music Therapy National Conference, Sydney 7-8 October 2006

Posted August 2006

Nordoff-Robbins’ patron, Her Excellency, The Governor of New South Wales, Professor Marie Bashir AC, has accepted an invitation to open the 32nd National Australian Music Therapy Conference to be held at the State Library, Sydney on 7-8 October.

For details about this significant event, go to the link below or contact the Conference Secretariat at:

CLEMS (Conference Links & Event Management Services)
Suite 5, 250 Gore St.,
Fitzroy, Victoria,
Australia, 3065

Tel + 61 3 9439 3855
Fax + 61 3 9431 5167
Email: amta2006@clems.com.au

Japanese delegation visits Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre

Posted 7 September 2006

On Wednesday 6 September 2006 the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre hosted a day for 15 delegates from the Centre of Social Welfare, Promotion and National Examination in Tokyo. Delegates are currently working in the area of social welfare and had a particular interest in how music therapy is used in aged care.

The day involved a range of presentations on music therapy, observation of two music therapy groups, and interactive musical experiences. The group received a highly informative presentation from Dr Alan Lem, Lecturer in Music Therapy, on the history of music therapy and the fundamental principles of how music therapy works. Senior Music Therapist Robin Howat introduced the principles of Nordoff-Robbins Creative Music Therapy, and with RMT Karen Rayner gave a presentation on music therapy in aged care. Master of Creative Music Therapy students Scott Benning and Steve Cocking ably assisted the therapists in both music therapy sessions and the presentations. We were very lucky to have the skills of two excellent interpreters, Misako Nakatsuka and Noriko Kojiro Brown, in the challenging task of interpreting often complex ideas between Japanese and English.

At the end of the day we agreed that music had touched us all deeply. Music’s immediacy, its power to express many different emotions and so quickly was exemplified. Our guests spoke virtually no English, and we no Japanese, yet we conversed through music without difficulty. The questions and thoughtful comments from members of the group showed that they saw the potential of music therapy to meet the needs of the community under their care. One specific comment received on behalf of the delegates was that 'Robin's message, music therapy is about communication and healthy healing, was felt in our body and in our soul.' Who could ask for more.

We thank Azusa Sema from Nichigo Health Resources (Sydney) for including us in the group’s tour schedule.

Photograph: interpreters Misako Nakatsuka (left) and Noriko Kojiro Brown (middle) with Nordoff-Robbins General Manager, Peta Williams (right).

A baby boy for staff member Jenny Whalan!

Posted 4 September 2006

On Thursday 31 August 2006 baby Thomas came into the world, the first child of Registered Music Therapist Jenny Whalan and her husband Matt.

Congratulations Jenny and Matt!! We wish you all the happiness in the world at the birth of your baby son.

Art of Music - 2006

Posted August 2006

A major fundraising event for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia called Art of Music will take place at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on the evening of Friday 6 October 2006.

Jenny Morris and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia present a unique event combining the visual arts and music brought to you with the support of principal sponsor The Stellar Group of Companies. Eighteen prominent contemporary visual artists are coming together to create an original exhibition. Each artist has chosen an iconic song from one of eighteen outstanding singer songwriters to inspire an artwork and the project will culminate with a dinner, exhibition and sale of the paintings.

Enquiries: contact Event Producer Henrietta Hartford Davis on 0411 637 637 or email henriettahd@bigpond.com. Event details can be found on the website at www.artofmusic.com.au

Update: please click on the link below for an update on Art of Music 2006.

  Link:www.nordoff-robbins.com.au/Contents.asp?ID=206

Penrith City Council awards two annual Mayoral Scholarships

Posted August 2006

Penrith City Council awards two annual Mayoral Scholarships to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia

Penrith City Council has just awarded Nordoff-Robbins two annual Mayoral Scholarships to assist two clients from the Penrith Local Government Area in financial need to attend music therapy at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre.

Valued at $1,000 each, these scholarships recognise that many clients with a disability, or families who have family members with a disability, can find it difficult to afford all the therapeutic interventions they need to assist them improve their quality of life.

For 2007 these two scholarships will be awarded to current clients attending the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre through an application process.

Nordoff-Robbins gratefully acknowledges the support of the Mayor and Council in this way.

Joanne McIntyre presents at International Symposium in Germany

Posted August 2006

The Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre, and Australian music therapy, was very ably represented by RMT Joanne McIntyre at the 2006 3rd Nordoff-Robbins International Symposium.

Joanne, who is a graduate of the UWS Creative Music Therapy course, a therapist at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre, and also a lecturer on the Master of Creative Music Therapy course at UWS, presented three papers at the Symposium which was held in Haus Nordhelle, Germany in June.

Joanne was congratulated on her presentations which confirmed that Nordoff-Robbins music therapy in Australia has kept true to the founders' philosophies but given it a vibrant, contemporary feel with its maximisation of improvisation and innovative use of a broad range of instruments including electronic looping.

The presentations covered:

• An early intervention outreach program being undertaken by the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre to initiate and strengthen the mother-child bond. This presentation also illustrated the importance of the use of music in communication and development of the relationship between mothers and young children.

• The progress of a program, run in conjunction with a NSW state behaviour unit in Penrith, which provides group sessions at the GSMTC for adolescents who exhibit resistive and challenging behaviours, and/or emotional disturbances. The music therapy sessions have given these students the opportunity to experience and communicate their feelings and frustrations in a more positive and constructive way. It has also given them the opportunity to develop appropriate social skills in a supportive environment.

• The use of music to transcend sensory impairment in children with multiple disabilities to uncover abilities and personality traits that were previously unknown. This paper traced the physical, emotional, social and cognitive developments of 2 such students.

Congratulations to Joanne from all of us at Nordoff-Robbins and the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre!!

Text by Kate Smith, Tanda for MusicWorks!

Photograph by Joanne McIntyre of Paul Nordoff's piano, Germany

Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation awards second grant to Nordoff-Robbins

Posted July 2006

The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation has recently approved a second grant of $50,000 to Nordoff-Robbins to continue the music therapy in early intervention programs in 2007.

The funds will be used towards the second year of the music therapy project, ‘Mothers and Young Children: Building Healthy Relationships Through Music’. This project focuses on the therapeutic use of music to strengthen the bond between disadvantaged mothers and their young children. Music is used to facilitate and emphasise the mothers’ role in assisting their young children to reach their developmental milestones and their full potential. The project targets disadvantaged families or families where a child has a disability or is deemed ‘at risk’. In 2007 the project is planned to continue in women’s correctional centres and with the early intervention organisation KU Starting Points.

Nordoff-Robbins gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Foundation for a second year.

Musical instruments supplied by St George Foundation

Posted August 2006

St George Foundation buys musical instruments for the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre

A recent grant of $999 from the St George Foundation has enabled Nordoff-Robbins to buy much needed musical instruments for children for our music therapy clinic at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre.

The quality of music therapy work is enhanced by the best quality musical instruments being used in our work. This grant has enabled us to buy two small log drums, which are ideal for children and which have perfectly tuned warm and expressive tones. These alto and tenor log drums complement the large Big Bom log drum bought last year through a grant from the Wilson Dilworth Foundation.

The generosity of Optimum Percussion allowed us to stretch the grant further and purchase a percussion stand for cowbells, plastic blocks and other useful percussive instruments.

Nordoff-Robbins gratefully acknowledges the support of the St George Foundation.

Photograph: Registered Music Therapists Eudora Low (left) and Christine Morson enjoy testing out the new log drums funded by the St George Foundation

Joint support program at Kingswood High and Primary Schools

Posted August 2006

Coca-Cola Australia Foundation and Matana Foundation for Young People jointly support program at Kingswood High and Primary Schools

A recent grant of $9,981 from the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation has enabled music therapy to continue at Kingswood Primary and High Schools for the second half of 2006.

A matching grant from the Matana Foundation for Young People will extend this program into the first half of 2007.

Many schools have students who fail to achieve successful outcomes either educationally or socially. This is not only because the students may have a disability but more specifically, because they have difficulty relating to the curriculum and the school environment.

Research has indicated that if the needs of students ‘at risk for educational failure’ are acknowledged and met adequately, the potential to succeed can be realised, resulting in adults with greater self-esteem and better work force qualifications.

Nordoff-Robbins gratefully acknowledges the enlightened support of these two Foundations in funding this music therapy project with primary and high school students.

A baby girl for staff member Iani Constable!

Posted August 2006

Our hearty congratulations to our Manager of Clinical Services, Iani Constable, and her husband Phil on the birth of their first baby, a daughter called Erica Monica Constable, born on Thursday, 15 June 2006.

We wish them all the joy in the world.

Michael Chuggg wins award at the 28th annual Golden Stave Luncheon!

Posted July 2006

The 28th annual Golden Stave Luncheon was held on Friday 30 June 2006 at the Hordern Pavilion. Attended by over 1,070 executives and staff from major recording and publishing companies, promoters, radio, TV, as well as associated service organisations, this amazing event is known as the ‘longest lunch of the year’! This event is held annually to raise money for charity, which is then distributed to many various child-orientated charities.

The inimitable Michael Chugg was the recipient of this year's Golden Stave Award for service to the music industry and the community.

Known for his expressive (pungent?) language as MC and auctioneer extraordinaire of the Golden Stave Foundation Luncheon, Michael has been a major player in the success of the Golden Stave Foundation of which he is a trustee. He has been a great supporter, in time, effort and money, of the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, Nordoff-Robbins and other charities.

In accepting the Award from Glenn Shorrock, Michael said that he was proud to receive it on behalf of all those in the music industry who worked hard for charity: “Whatever you put in you get back ten-fold knowing that you can make a difference,” he said.

MasoniCare supports music therapy programs

Posted June 2006

masoniCare supports music therapy programs with school children at the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre

masoniCare, the official charity of the NSW and ACT Freemasons, has become a supporter of the GSMTC. Robert Runge, the Regional Grand Counsellor for Region 3, and his wife Susan visited the centre in April to present a cheque for $5000 which will provide support to music therapy programs with school children for those experiencing educational or social difficulties.


Photograph: Robert Runge (left) presents a wonderfully large cheque to Peta Williams (General Manager, centre) and Nick Hampton (Treasurer & Secretary), Nordoff-Robbins and the Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre