Northland Regional Centre music therapists - Emily, Jonathan, Holly and Cici!
Our Northland team keeps on growing! Rachel Farrell took over the role of Northland Regional Manager late last year, just in time for the arrival of two new music therapists. Emily Wills joined the Whangārei Regional Centre in January. Originally from Kentucky, Emily grew up playing bluegrass and folk music on her fiddle and clog dancing with her family. The Whangārei team was further bolstered by Jonathan Williams when he arrived in April. Jonathan hails from South Carolina and has trained as a classical cellist from a young age. Both Emily and Jonathan have already proven to be wonderful assets to the Northland whānau.
Holly and Emily show the new Northland Regional Centre Manager the sights
The arrival of new team members has paved the way for Registered Music Therapist Holly McPhee to relocate from Whangārei to Kerikeri and head up our services in the mid and far north regions. She will take over our Kerikeri satellite, which operates out of the Cornerstone buildng on Tuesday afternoons, enabling families to attend music therapy close to home. Term 2 will see Holly head up to Kaitaia two days per week, with sessions already confirmed at Kaitaia Primary School and Kaitaia college. With the addition of a new satellite at Far North REAP, for which we are currently accepting referrals, and the expansion of services in Okaihau and surrounds, Holly and her little red Suzuki – enabled by the Hugo Charitable Trust – will soon be a familiar face in the area.
We are thrilled to finally be bringing music therapy services to the Far North region, a region whichtraditionally have been under resourced and under served. Our Northland Regional Centre opened in 2019 with just one location and one music therapist (the amazing Katie Pureti who did an incredible amount of mahi to establish and grow the Northland centre). Now, just three years later, we are proud to boast five team members, two locations, and to be serving over 150 adults and children each week. Huge thanks go to our grant funders, most especially Foundation North who have been instrumental in our expansion in Northland.
If you are interested in our services for either community groups or individuals, flick us an email on info@rmtc.org.nz, or you are welcome to fill in a referral form, and we will be in touch.