Xiuyu Li

Registered Music Therapist
Auckland Regional Centre

Xiu is from Liaoyuan, a small city in the northeast of China. When she was six years old, she started learning Pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument like a lute, and subsequently enrolled at the school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing for further study when she was 12.

Xiu graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Pipa performance from the Central Conservatory of Music and then completed further study in Music Therapy. Following this, she worked as a full-time music therapist in Beijing for two years before moving to New Zealand and starting the Music Therapy Master’s Degree program at Victoria University of Wellington.

In China, Xiu worked with older adults, patients in medical and rehabilitation settings, and adults with intellectual disabilities in community day-care centres. Since Xiu joined Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, she has worked with a range of populations. Xiu loves interacting with music therapy participants in a natural, humanistic, and strength-orientated way. She is enthusiastic about using music to bring help, support, and happiness to clients and their families, and especially likes working with children, as it is full of surprises.

On the weekends, Xiu likes to go hiking and swimming, take short trips with friends, take part in local activities to experience New Zealand culture, of course, play music!