Music Therapy Week Online Sessions, 2026
All about music therapy!
Links to our recorded Music Therapy Week 2026 webinars are below.
Friday 10 April
Introduction to Music Therapy
In this recorded session, Ella and Sinead, Registered Music Therapists at Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, provide an engaging introduction to music therapy.
Presenters: Ella Polczyk-Przybyla and Sinead Hegarty
Ella Polczyk-Przybyla is a NZ Registered Music Therapist who has trained as a musician focusing on jazz performance and specialising in playing the clarinet and saxophone. In her music therapy work she has an interest in working with individuals from different cultures and with a variety of special needs. Ella is currently Hawkes Bay Regional Centre Manager for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.
Sinead Hegarty (she/they) is a NZ Registered Music Therapist at Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, she completed her masters in Music Therapy at Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University) in 2023 and now works part time at the Hawkes Bay regional centre. Sinead has as deep love for community-focused approaches and promoting social justice in her practice.
Monday 13th April
Working with vision-impaired clients
This session focussed on music therapy with vision-impaired clients.
If you wish to view the recording, please get in contact.
Presenter: Kathryn Stevenson
Kathryn Stevenson, MA, NZ Registered Music Therapist, has worked in the disability sector since 1981 in the U.S.A, Australia and New Zealand, including nearly 30 years as a Registered Music Therapist, A good portion of her work has included a wide age range of people on the autism spectrum, as well as those who are vision impaired. Kathryn holds a Masters qualification in music therapy which she gained at Montclair State University, New Jersey, U.S.A. She currently works predominantly in private practice in Ellerslie.
Tuesday 14th April
Music Therapy in aged care
This recorded presentation explores how music therapy can support older adults. Rachel and Luke talk about the work the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust are involved in aged care settings across the motu.
Presenters: Rachel Foxell and Luke Stothart
Rachel Foxell is a Registered Music Therapist with over 15 years’ experience, based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She has been the Clinical Services Manager at Raukatauri in August 2023. Rachel has experience working with people across the lifespan a variety of health, education, and community spaces, with groups and individuals, using music to meet each client’s goals in a meaningful and authentic way.
Luke Stothart is a Registered Music Therapist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, working at the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust across a range of clinical settings, including aged care. Luke’s work has increasingly focused on the use of recording and music technology to support engagement, identity, and creative expression. Luke is particularly interested in how these approaches can be integrated into practice in meaningful and accessible ways.
Wednesday 15th April
Music Therapy with children and adolescents
In this recorded round table discussion about music therapy with children and adolescents. Emma, Renato and Lauren talk about the work that they are doing in this space, and answer participant questions.
Panel: Emma Matthews, Renata Kuswanto and Lauren Payne.
Emma Matthews is a NZ Registered Music Therapist and senior clinician based in the Nelson/Tasman region. She is the founder of The Nest Paediatric Music Therapy Centre and Emma Makes Music, where she specialises in clinical songwriting and digital resource development. With a background spanning as a musician, itinerant music teacher, Music Therapist, Early Childhood Kaiako, and specialist teacher, Emma’s work focuses on creating accessible, inclusive, creative clinical spaces for tamariki.
Renata Kuswanto is a NZ Registered Music Therapist specialising in Neurologic Music Therapy and currently working under Southern Music Therapy (SMT) based in Christchurch. Renata has provided clinical music therapy services for children in various individual and group settings, and has worked with Waitaha Specialist School in a robust multi-disciplinary team for two days in a week.
Lauren Payne is a NZ Registered Music Therapist and is the owner and founder of Musical Milestones Limited; a music therapy private practice in Invercargill, New Zealand. Prior to opening the private practice in 2020, Lauren worked as a registered music therapist and specialist services coordinator for Ruru Specialist School. Lauren now mainly works with children and adolescents with disability, neurodivergence and/ or trauma. She also sees some adult clients with disability including brain injury. Lauren also runs professional development seminars for schools, hospitals and charity organisations, and has recently become a clinical supervisor.