Every Thursday Registered Music Therapist Alex Dean fills two luggage cases with instruments, straps on a guitar, grabs an electric amp, and makes the 45-minute ferry journey to Waiheke Island… then does it all again to get back home at the end of the day.
Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust has been running music therapy sessions in schools on Waiheke Island since 2019, with Alex taking over the programme in 2020. Alex spends the day at Te Huruhi Primary School, where he works with students from Te Huruhi, and students who are transported from Waiheke High School and Waiheke Primary School, in both individual and group music therapy sessions. The Waiheke schools have referred 12 students for music therapy, ranging from new entrants to high school age, and with a variety of complex disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, anxiety, and rare genetic disorders.
As you might expect, getting Alex and all of his instruments to Waiheke each week isn’t just a logistical challenge, it also comes at a significant cost and the financial challenges of providing specialist services on the island mean that children with disabilities don’t have access to the same variety of supports as their mainland peers. For this reason, Raukatauri was thrilled when we were approached by the Jassy Dean Trust with an offer of financial support for our services in 2019.
“The Jassy Dean Trust has long been aware of the great positive benefits of music therapy for children with special needs. When we were made aware of the Raukatauri Trust and the good work they do, we didn’t hesitate to offer support. Obviously there’s a huge benefit in having a programme like this available for kids on the island, without the need to travel to Auckland.”
Since this initial offer of support from the Jassy Dean Trust, they have become the primary funders of Raukatauri’s services on Waiheke, truly changing the lives of children on the island through music.
Programme delivery had to be re-considered during the different COVID lockdowns, but thankfully, due to Alex's hard work and the support from classroom teachers, teacher's aides and the administrative team who organised things on Waiheke, Alex was able to continue delivering regular music therapy sessions online. During these sessions it became clear that for a contingent of the students, support for anxiety and lower mood was becoming a pressing need. Alex worked with the students to stay connected through sharing songs and discussing how the students related to them, singing and playing instruments for self-expression, and practicing techniques for managing anxiety. Alex sought to provide continued flexible support based on the changing needs of students.
Since beginning his work in the Waiheke Schools, Alex has seen improved communication among the students, as well as some increased independence and self-confidence as they broaden the horizons of experiences that they are willing to try. One highlight has been a student singing into the microphone for the first time and showing immense pride in doing so. Several parents reported that sessions were the only services their children were engaging with, including school, providing genuine and meaningful opportunities for social interactions in group sessions which made a significant positive impact on home life.
Clearly, the difference that Alex’s sessions have made isn’t being kept quiet on the island with the Jassy Dean team hearing reports from families about how much music therapy has helped children to gain confidence and stay connected. We were pretty chuffed to hear from Greg how much he also values the Trust’s relationship with Raukatauri, saying:
“We acknowledge all the work that goes on behind the scenes to set up a new programme in the community. Raukatauri Trust has really made the effort to reach out and build relationships with Waiheke families and with the three schools on the island, which is fabulous. We look forward to maintaining a positive future relationship with the Raukatauri Trust to support children with special needs in our community.”
A huge thank you to our primary Waiheke funders the Jassy Dean Trust and also heartfelt gratitude to the Auckland Council Waiheke Local Board who support our work on the island, the Waiheke Island Rotary Club who recently purchased new instruments for music therapy, and Fullers 360 who have fully funded our ferry travel since 2019!