Quarterly Member Spotlight

2026, Quarter 3

About the Organization/Practice

Could you provide a brief history of your organization and its mission in music therapy?
What once began as The George Center has evolved into Perfect Harmony Health, an inclusive nonprofit music therapy organization that creates access to life through the healing power of music! We believe that just because healthcare is innovative does not mean that it should be a luxury.

What populations or specific communities does your organization serve?
We serve the Metro Atlanta area, based out of Roswell, GA. Our team serves ages birth-end of life and diagnoses ranging from Autism, Cerebral Palsy, TBI, Parkinson's, Dementia, and premature infants.

What distinguishes your practice/program from other music therapy organizations in Georgia?Our practice is the only practice in Georgia that has a full staff of Neurologic Music Therapists, including a few higher-level Fellows. We work within the neurologic framework to best serve our clients and access the entire brain's capabilities through music. Our team is also fully composed of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-trained music therapists! Along with our philosophies, we use a variety of skillsets to serve a large community in order to make sure all have access to services.

Approaches and Methods

What therapeutic approaches or interventions do you find most effective with your clients?
Our team utilizes a variety of neurologic-based interventions. One of our most effective interventions is utilizing rhythm to regulate our clients' sensory system. Rhythm gives a sense of expectation, routine, and momentum for the body to utilize within its senses.

How do you integrate evidence-based practices within your programs?
One of our favorite times of the month is our clinical staff meeting. These look like a variety of ways, like our "Pop Your Lid" series, where we talk about specific parts of the brain, or workshopping an assessment, program development, and utilizing research to guide each others' clinical questions.

Are there any innovative practices, techniques, or models your team has developed?
We are always adapting techniques that we have learned in our practice to best support our clients! This also includes developing new programs and curriculum for our community!

Challenges and Solutions

What are some unique challenges your organization has faced, and how have you addressed them?
One of the biggest challenges that we have come across is funding. As a nonprofit, we apply and utilize a lot of grants to support our clients. As we all know, insurance does not cover music therapy and that hinders a lot of clients from be able to participate. We believe that our services should not be at a luxury cost and consistently work towards providing the most funding-support that we can to give access to our community.

How do you handle accessibility issues for clients with different needs (financial, transportation, physical barriers, etc.)?
We adapt! Our services aren't strict on how to provide them. If a client needs in-home due to transportation issues or physical limitations, we meet them where they are at. If a client has the means to do virtual, we will adapt our session to be tech-savvy. If funding becomes a conversation, we have a variety of resources that we can offer to them. One of the skills that every music therapist should have is adaptability, and it should show through accessibility.

Collaboration and Community Engagement

What partnerships or collaborations have strengthened your work?
Our community partnerships are what make us grow. We currently provide over 10 different programs with community partners, and working to do more! Being able to collaborate with a variety of settings in the area allows us to serve even more individuals and make an even larger impact! One of our programs even has attendees from outside of the USA!

How does your organization engage with the local community beyond therapy sessions?
Perfect Harmony Health hosts a variety of events, including our annual music festival, Amp It Up, where clients get to perform alongside real local bands! This year, Amp It Up is October 24th and we would love to see MTAG friends there!

Outcomes and Impact

What outcomes or client success stories can you share that illustrate the impact of music therapy in your program?
During our theatre program, Roswell Players, we get to help over 20 actors with disabilities shine on stage. Last year, we performed a multimedia production of Shrek the Musical Jr. One of our actors who played Lord Farquaad uses an AAC device for communication. One of the most inspiring and "aha" moments was watching his face light up as he used his device to sing "Welcome to Duloc." Most people have an unfortunate pre-requisite that someone who uses a device to speak "can't sing," but in this case, he was able to prove them wrong! He truly came out of his shell during the show. His smile said it all!

How do you measure the success and effectiveness of your programs?
Success isn't measured in a number, instead it is measured by happiness. Quality over quantity. When we get to see the joy, inclusion, and transfer happen in real time, it makes those hard moments in sessions worth it.

Looking Ahead

What goals or aspirations do you have for the future of your organization?
We have a plan called "Perfect Harmony Health: 2035" where we can provide more than just music therapy to our community; we can provide a sense of belonging. With that, we are taking steps towards a bigger and better future with our re-location in Fall 2026! We are so excited to expand into a larger clinic, offering more therapeutic services and programs than ever before! We can't wait to continue to grow and see where this takes Perfect Harmony Health.

What emerging trends or needs do you see for music therapy in Georgia or nationwide?
I see the need for better funding support. This is the underlying issue with our services not being held at a higher need during someone's overall treatment. How amazing it would be if we were considered 'standard' alongside OT, PT, speech and more!? Once insurance can recognize us as impactful, evidence-based, and a necessity, then our field could change forever!

Advice and Insights for Professionals

What advice would you give to other music therapists aiming to establish or grow their practices or programs?
Trust the process. Everything takes time and sometimes one small step backwards can launch you 1000 feet forward! Be fueled by your passion and no matter what you do, it will matter.

What resources or training opportunities have been invaluable to your team?
All of the training opportunities our team has undergone has been invaluable. Our practices should never be stagnant. As new research comes to light, our perspectives and practices should change with it. Our team is fully trained in Neurologic Music Therapy, which is a solid evidence-based foundation for what we do, but it isn't just what we do. We use that to evolve our training in other certifications, like NICU-MT, social work, public health, and more. The more we can enhance our knowledge, the better we can support our clients which makes any extra training or education invaluable.