MusicHelps Master of Music Therapy Award 2026 recipient Agatha Lee
MusicHelps Master of Music Therapy Award 2026 recipient Agatha Lee
MusicHelps is delighted to announce Agatha Lee as the recipient of the 2026 MusicHelps Master of Music Therapy Award.
Presented in collaboration with The Kate Edgar Educational Charitable Trust and the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, the award supports wāhine identifying students who have been accepted into the Master of Music Therapy programme at Victoria University.
Agatha will receive an $8,000 scholarship to support her first year of study as she begins this next chapter in music therapy.
Outside of her studies, Agatha founded the Vocal Sound Collective — a vibrant hub for music creators, artists, tutors and students to connect, learn and share knowledge through lessons, workshops, events, performances and online courses.
Prior to this, Agatha spent five years as a Senior Tutor at Massey University, and has worked extensively as a piano tutor and coach in Ōtautahi Christchurch, including with Music Box Academy.
We caught up with Agatha to talk about her musical journey, her passion for music therapy, and what this scholarship means for the road ahead.
What inspired you to want to become a Music Therapist?
Recently I’m discovering that so much of my previous practice has actually been a form of music therapy. Whether it be one-on-one lessons, workshops, bringing communities together for performances -- essentially, we’re making people’s lives better through music. In a way, I suppose I have been led to music therapy to strengthen my own relationship with music and how I can use it to help others!
Where does your passion and interest for Music Therapy come from?
My interest in music therapy really solidified through teaching music to various age groups. For many of my students and friends, music has truly become a tool to help regulate, process, express and empower.
What do you enjoy most about studying Music Therapy at Victoria University?
My tutors and peers have been a true source of inspiration for me -- I often have to take a moment to appreciate how awesome each of these individuals are! I have much to learn from them.
What part of music therapy are you specifically interested in?
I am particularly passionate about working with elderly residents living with cognitive memory loss. My late grandmother is a big part of why I am so passionate about this mahi. Using the voice to empower is also a key area that I’d love to work in someday.
How do you use Music Therapy in your current work?
As it turns out, I use music therapy techniques constantly in the music lessons and workshops that I teach. Using music as a tool for joy and exploration, but also to regulate and express has contagious effects!
Can you share any stories about when you have seen the effects of music therapy on a person or people?
I believe music is magnificently powerful -- I have seen elderly residents grow younger through singing and dancing, as well as adults empowering themselves with newfound creativity after retirement. I have also seen children really come into their own when they achieve confidence in their singing. Music is both powerful and transformative!
What role does Music Therapy play in our community? Why is it important?
The term, ‘therapy’ can make what I am training to do sound quite intimidating. I think music therapy is crucial to our communities because it grounds the physical, psychological and often spiritual elements of a person. Everyone needs a check in, and every single person has the right to access music in a way that helps you.
What is your dream career or role with Music Therapy in NZ?
Music & leadership were gifts given to me -- I’d love to continue to share those gifts to those around me. Community workshops, vocal groups, lessons, music therapy sessions and education are all a part of my multi-faceted dream of being a music facilitator.
Is there a music therapist in NZ that inspires you?
Sarah Hoskyns (a matriarch of Aotearoa’s music therapy history) continues to inspire me every day throughout the Masters programme that I am undertaking. She is warm, generous with her knowledge, supportive, fun and always willing to evolve her worldview - I respect these qualities in Sarah so much.
What do you want people to know about Music Therapy
Music therapy is something that is accessible to everyone. For you, it might look like shouting at the top of your lungs to a favourite song in the car, or balling your eyes out to a song that resonates so deeply with a loss you might be experiencing. For others, music might be the way they express their feelings as a non-speaking child, or how a grandparent with dementia remembers the summers spent with their now-adult-daughter.
Thank you so much to Music Helps and the Kate Edger Foundation for supporting this path that I walk today. I hope to give back the same generosity to our communities for years to come.
About MusicHelps:
MusicHelps supports hundreds of projects across New Zealand, each using the power of music to change the lives of thousands of New Zealanders in need.
We also provide emergency assistance to thousands of music people experiencing hardship and illness through our suite of music support services, including a world first, professional online, on-the-phone and face-to-face counselling service tailored to people who make music possible.
https://www.musichelps.org.nz/
About The Kate Edgar Charitable Trust:
The Trust’s main purpose is to help others achieve in furthering their education and is named in recognition of Kate Milligan Edger (1857-1935), the first woman to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in New Zealand, and the second in the British Empire. https://www.kateedgertrust.org.nz
About Raukatauri:
The Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre was founded in March 2004 by singer Hinewehi Mohi, her husband George Bradfield, and promoter Campbell Smith, to provide music therapy services to individuals with special needs. The Centre receives its name from Hinewehi’s daughter, Hineraukatauri. Hineraukatauri has severe cerebral palsy and received music therapy for the first time while on a family trip to London in 1999. During these sessions, she was able to engage and communicate in ways not previously thought possible, making her family determined to bring the life changing benefits of music therapy home to Aotearoa-New Zealand. https://www.rmtc.org.nz/history
