"Music is the highlight of my week"-: Reflections on case studies of community-based music therapy for paediatric recipients living with a brain tumour.
Tracks
Stream Two
| Friday, October 17, 2025 |
| 11:50 AM - 12:10 PM |
| Centre Stage 2 |
Overview
Megan Cotter
Speaker
Megan Cotter
RCD Foundation
"Music is the highlight of my week"-: Reflections on case studies of community-based music therapy for paediatric recipients living with a brain tumour.
Abstract
Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among children aged 0-14 in Australia (Cancer Australia, 2024). Approximately 120 children and adolescents are diagnosed with brain cancer each year (Children’s Cancer Institute, 2024) and on average, one child dies from brain cancer every nine days, with the five-year survival rate at just 23% (Cancer Australia, 2024). These statistics underscore the need for effective, supportive care, including music therapy for children and families facing the complex challenges of neuro-oncology care.
As healthcare models shift towards community-based care, music therapists play an increasingly vital role in supporting young patients beyond traditional hospital settings. This presentation examines two home-based music therapy case studies—a 5-year-old and a 17-year-old—illustrating how personalised, context-sensitive care can meet clinical, rehabilitative, and emotional needs. Drawing on observational data and reflective practice, it explores music therapy’s role in enhancing wellbeing and decreasing pain. As de Viya and Lopez-Rodriguez (2021) note, music-based interventions reduce anxiety, pain, and depression while improving mood, self-esteem, and quality of life—reinforcing the value of holistic, person-centered care in outcome-driven healthcare.
Beyond hospital walls, music therapy at home supports sustained engagement in meaningful relationships and activities, mitigating the isolation often experienced by children with cancer. One child’s comment, “Music is the highlight of my week,” captures the profound personal value of in-home sessions. This presentation reflects on the evolution of music therapy from hospital wards to living rooms, showcasing the professions’ adaptability and expanding reach. Drawing on the presenter’s unique experience across tertiary and community settings, it offers insights into how music therapy can be defined, evidenced and advocated for within community-based neuro-oncology care. It also considers recent shifts in oncology care and the need for accessible, person and family-centered approaches as AMTA marks 50 years, and we look to the future of music therapy.
As healthcare models shift towards community-based care, music therapists play an increasingly vital role in supporting young patients beyond traditional hospital settings. This presentation examines two home-based music therapy case studies—a 5-year-old and a 17-year-old—illustrating how personalised, context-sensitive care can meet clinical, rehabilitative, and emotional needs. Drawing on observational data and reflective practice, it explores music therapy’s role in enhancing wellbeing and decreasing pain. As de Viya and Lopez-Rodriguez (2021) note, music-based interventions reduce anxiety, pain, and depression while improving mood, self-esteem, and quality of life—reinforcing the value of holistic, person-centered care in outcome-driven healthcare.
Beyond hospital walls, music therapy at home supports sustained engagement in meaningful relationships and activities, mitigating the isolation often experienced by children with cancer. One child’s comment, “Music is the highlight of my week,” captures the profound personal value of in-home sessions. This presentation reflects on the evolution of music therapy from hospital wards to living rooms, showcasing the professions’ adaptability and expanding reach. Drawing on the presenter’s unique experience across tertiary and community settings, it offers insights into how music therapy can be defined, evidenced and advocated for within community-based neuro-oncology care. It also considers recent shifts in oncology care and the need for accessible, person and family-centered approaches as AMTA marks 50 years, and we look to the future of music therapy.
Biography
Megan Cotter is a music therapist with over a decade’s experience in paediatric and adolescent oncology, working with the RCD Foundation since 2021. Megan holds a Masters in Adolescent Health and Wellness is a WFMT ethics constituent and is passionate about community-based family centered, paediatric and adolescent neuro-oncology care.
