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Music News - Music industry helps therapy centre to grow services

02 November 2007 - 0 Comments

A charity gala auction at the Auckland Town Hall raised more than $170,000 for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

The funds raised will be used to help grow the operations of the trust’s therapy centre for special needs children in Auckland.

The top bid of $50,000 was from one generous benefactor who paid two-thirds more than its value for a $30,000 Radio Live and C4 TV media package.

Other popular items with bidders were:

- A three-piece Bill Hammond etching that fetched $10,500
- The ‘ultimate’ Kiwi Music Dinner set decorated by eight of the country’s best-loved musicians knocked down for $8,000
- A Schecter electric guitar autographed by The Cure when the band played in Auckland earlier in the year
- A framed set of six original bro’Town animation cells from series one of the iconic animated TV programme, supplemented by morning tea with Oscar Kightley which commanded $4,500;
- Morning or afternoon tea for two with opposition leader John Key which went for $3,000.

Hosted by Oscar Kightley, the evening featured donated performances by numerous musicians including ‘Awa, Demon & Tama’, Don McGlashan, Carly Binding, Victoria Girling-Butcher and Godfrey De Grut, Hinewehi Mohi and Fly My Pretties. Kightley and auctioneer Brett Trigger also gave of their services.

Guest of honour at the event was Dr Clive Robbins, co-founder of the pioneering Nordoff Robbins approach to music therapy practised by the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre and the inspiration behind its establishment.

Trust chairperson Campbell Smith says the funds raised will be put to good use.

“We are seeing more clients now than ever before as the word spreads about our work and that means we have to carefully weigh-up how we grow the service.

“The very generous support of everyone involved in the auction does not go unnoticed and I know the centre trustees will extract maximum value from every single dollar donated.”

It is the fourth year New Zealand musicians and friends have come together in support of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

The Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre receives no government assistance. It is based in the Auckland suburb of Newton but accepts clients from around the country.

About The Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre

The centre provides music therapy for special needs children of school age and younger. It is New Zealand’s first music therapy centre.

The idea grew from a Kiwi family’s experience of music therapy in the UK and, subsequently, the realisation there was a need to provide a similar service here.

Singer and songwriter Hinewehi Mohi, her husband George and daughter Hineraukatauri spent time at the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre in London in 1999.

Hineraukatauri has severe cerebral palsy. It was soon evident that therapy through music struck a chord for her. For the first time in her life, she had an opportunity to participate in and control an activity and to actually create something. Most important for Hineraukatauri, music became a means to communicate.

Upon their return to New Zealand, the family determined to establish a music therapy centre here. The dream was realised with the opening in early 2004 of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre (RMTC) in Auckland.

The centre moved to bigger premises in Newton in 2005 comprising of two workrooms an observation facility, an office and waiting room and associated facilities.

Currently there are three full time, and one part time qualified music therapists and an assortment of musical instruments. These include a piano, snare drums, splash cymbals, crash cymbals, wind chimes, xylophones, tambourines, loads of drumsticks and mallets and much more!

The work at the centre focuses primarily on children. However, the aim is to ultimately provide therapy for all age groups within the wider community.

Thanks to www.rmtc.org.nz for this story.


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