How The Music Works
Music can calm. It can connect. It can carry someone through where words can’t.
Matt McFarlane works with NDIS participants, service providers and allied health teams to deliver meaningful, music-based support that meets people where they are — emotionally, physically, and socially.
Who Is It For?
Matt supports a broad range of clients and settings, including:
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Young people living with anxiety or autism
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Adults with ABI or complex needs
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Non-verbal participants working on emotional or social goals
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People recovering from trauma, addiction or burnout
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Individuals who simply want to connect through music, their way
His approach is evidence-based, gentle, responsive and grounded in the person, not the diagnosis.
Why Music?
Music isn’t a magic trick, but it does help people feel heard.
It lifts mood, builds routine, supports memory and gives people the tools to say what they can’t always speak. For many, it creates moments of calm or connection that carry into the rest of their day.
Matt combines his skills as a lifelong musician with years of hands-on therapeutic support work. He knows how to read a room, adapt on the fly, and show up with presence and care.
How Matt Works
Matt isn’t just a musician who cares, he’s a support practitioner who listens.
He’s worked extensively across disability, mental health, aged care and brain injury services, and brings a calm, grounded presence to every setting.
His sessions are tailored to individual NDIS goals and may include:
- Songwriting & lyric-building (supporting communication and narrative expression)
- Recording projects (creating lasting artefacts of progress and identity)
- Inclusive group sessions or performances (to foster connection, confidence and social inclusion)
- Community events & workplace programs (music as a bridge between participants, staff and the broader public)
Previous Clients & Collaborators
Matt has delivered sessions and performances for:
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Melbourne City Mission
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Austin Health (Royal Talbot Hospital)
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Scope Australia
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Yooralla Disability Support
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BrainLink
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Brotherhood of St Laurence
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McCallum Disability Services (Ballarat)
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West End Services
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Multiple Community Health and Mental Health Centres
Some Of The Amazing People Matt Has Worked With
