Max Schollar-Root is a Registered Music Therapist and manager of The Hills Music Therapy. He has a rich and varied background in community health services, with a focus on the disability sector.
Max works with with adults, adolescents, and children spanning a wide range of abilities and therapeutic needs. He specialises in working with adults with profound and multiple disabilities as well as children with autism and other developmental and learning challenges. He provides group and individual sessions for a number of disability services across Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs in both day programs and at group homes. Max also visits family homes and runs sessions from his studio in Belgrave.
Since graduating in 2014 with first class honours from The University of Melbourne’s Master of Music Therapy program, Max has had the privilege of working with music to help people experience improved quality of life. This ranges from increasing social opportunities for clients to supporting individual development in areas such as communication and mobility.
Max has previously been employed at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne on the adolescent ward, and spent five years with Attuned Music Therapy working in the disability sector with children and adults.
Max worked with Bop Along Baby for five years, providing early childhood music and development sessions in childcare centres and leading music groups for new parents and babies.
Over this time, he built a thriving private practice working with adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, and in early intervention for children with autism.
Max's extensive and ongoing experience in the arts as a performer, composer, producer, band manager and sound designer feed into his therapeutic work, to which he brings skills in the technical and technological elements of music making and a rigorous skill set in managing the logistics of serving a diverse client base.
Now focused on his role as an NDIS provider, Max runs The Hills Music Therapy in his local area of the Dandenong Ranges and surrounds.
Cate de Carteret is a Registered Music Therapist with active experience across social and community music projects and music-based education.
As an experienced community musician and educator, Cate implemented the vocal program at Malvern Central Primary School, and is the continuing Co-Director of Northern Voices Choir, based in Thornbury. She developed interactive Zoom group music sessions 'Song Club' with the specific goals to foster parent-child relationships and address the psychosocial needs caused by the isolating effects of Melbourne's extended lockdown in 2020.
A graduate of the Master of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne, Cate is experienced in early intervention, aged care and mental health settings. She has a long history of working with people across the lifespan, from infants to older adults, addressing individual needs and working with all abilities.
Within a strengths-based and client centred framework, Cate works hard to facilitate an increase in social opportunities for clients, using music to build the capacity for increased communication and mobility. With both personal and professional experience with adult disability and early intervention, Cate strives for justice and advocacy when working with clients and families, ensuring their preferences and voice is heard, and their therapeutic priorities are addressed.
Luke Thorne is a Student Music Therapist at Melbourne University. He has 10 years’ experience working as a disability support worker with children and adults and as a professional musician.
Luke has experience working with individuals and groups in paediatric hospitals, aged care facilities, adult disability day centres, and in-home settings. Luke takes a humanistic approach to music therapy, believing in meeting individuals where they are at, focusing on their strengths, offering fun and engaging sessions without expectations.
Luke will graduate and become a Registered Music Therapist in late 2022.
Mauricio Gomez is a community musician running music therapy groups for adults with disabilities as well as music performance and interactive workshops for kids and adults in schools and festivals around Australia.
Mauricio currently provides multiple regular group sessions for people with a diverse range of backgrounds and needs at OC Connections adult disability service, as well as numerous regular groups in supported adult accommodation settings for The Hills Music Therapy.
He graduated from Australian Music Performance in 2009 at NMIT with singing and guitar as a primary and second instrument, with community work with people with disabilities and mental illness as part of the bachelor. Mauricio has a long and ongoing experience as a music teacher, performer, with skills in improvisation, composition, production and band management.
Born in Colombia and fluent in both Spanish and English, Mauricio takes his Latin American background with him and is always looking for the best way to engage the people he works with and encourage participation according to their needs.
Mauricio is currently studying Psychology and preparing to undertake the Master of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne early next year.
Niki Schild provides administrative and technical support to our team.
With a professional background in writing and editing for digital media, Niki has produced written material for numerous providers of allied health, medical and community services.
A lifelong dancer with a passion for the arts in health and wellbeing, she is currently completing the Master of Creative Arts Therapy (Dance Movement Therapy) program at the University of Melbourne.
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Homepage photo by Lyle Wilkinson.
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