Emily Wills

Northland Regional Centre Manager
Registered Music Therapist

Ko putirā te puke
Ko Ohio te awa
Ko Te Unaititi Teiti te whenua
Ko Kentucky te wā kāinga ō tōku whānau
Ko Steven rāua ko Teresa ōku mātua
Ko Matthew tōku tungāne
Ko Emily ahau

Emily (she/her) grew up playing bluegrass and folk music on her fiddle and clog dancing with her family. Her interest in music therapy developed as she realised the importance of music in her community, as well as the impact of music in her own life. Emily graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy in 2018 and a Master of Music Therapy in 2020. Emily completed her 6-month music therapy internship at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Before joining the Raukatauri whānau, Emily worked at a private practice in her home community where she provided music therapy services to neurodiverse children and young adults. During this time, Emily was encouraged and inspired by therapy participants to develop a person-centred, strengths-based approach to her work. She is incredibly grateful to all of her friends, colleagues, and especially her clients for their wisdom, support, and patience.

Emily believes everyone has a right to access reliable communication and works to educate and support families and individuals who use alternative methods to communicate other than speech. She is passionate about the therapeutic use of song writing, music and imagery, and creative modalities, while affirming therapy participants’ autonomy through co-constructed music therapy experiences. In her free time, Emily loves to be in nature, play music with friends, and try new recipes.