Joanne grew up in Singapore and later moved to Australia to pursue her undergraduate studies in Music, with the intention of training to become a piano teacher. It was while studying at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music that she was exposed to the field of Music Therapy. She was intrigued by how music can be used to help improve the quality of peoples’ lives. This interest continued to grow and eventually lead her to completing a Postgraduate degree in Music Therapy.
During her years of formal training and work as a Music Therapist, Joanne has had the privilege of coming alongside people of different age groups and cultural backgrounds in various community settings including hospitals, special schools and aged care homes. Joanne values how Music Therapy employs a person-centred and strengths-based approach which acknowledges every individual as a person with a unique personality and preferences, and also focuses on the individual’s abilities. She has witnessed the many benefits of musical interventions in helping to learn and improve skills, regulate emotions, encourage self-expression and build meaningful connections between individuals and their families through shared experiences.
Since starting at Mini Maestros, Joanne’s appreciation for the important role that music plays has continued to grow. She hopes that music groups will not only be a time where the children can develop various skills and confidence while having fun together, but it will also be a place where each individual child will feel safe and supported to express themselves in their own beautiful little way.
Outside of music, Joanne enjoys being out in nature and going on road trips with friends. She loves how multicultural Melbourne is and enjoys trying different types of cuisine.