Central West
- Mary Hare Schools, Newbury
- Corrina Lodge Care Home, Camberley, Surrey
- Castle Special School, Newbury
- Outreach work
- Headway Thames Valley, Henley
Mary Hare Schools, Newbury
A purpose-built music therapy Unit forms part of the Arlington Arts Centre at Mary Hare School for deaf children. This music therapy unit is the base for a team of 2 music therapists - Christine Rocca and Cathy Bowker. A music therapy service is provided on site at the Unit and also through outreach work for the local community. There has been music therapy at Mary Hare School for deaf children – aged 6 months to 18 years – for many years.
© Nordoff Robbins
Christine Rocca and Cathy Bowker do much outreach work. They work with groups of children with cochlear implants and visual aids – increasing the children’s speech development through expressive singing, as well as giving them greater confidence. They also give workshops and presentations to other professionals.
Click here to visit the website of the Nordoff Robbins Mary Hare Music Therapy Unit.
Refer someone for music therapy at the Unit at Mary Hare School.
Private and professional referrals are welcome. Complete a referral form: download a form below OR you can request a form by post, phone, fax, or email.
© Nordoff Robbins
Corrina Lodge Care Home, Camberley, Surrey
Corrina Lodge is a Barchester Care Home offering residential care for older people living with dementia, and for younger people with neurological disabilities.
Music therapist Sylvia Raine works mainly with people living with neurological disabilities. The work aims to create opportunities for people to participate in the communal life of the home.
Castle Special School, Newbury
Pupils of Castle Special School receive music therapy at the Nordoff Robbins Mary Hare Music Therapy Unit. Music therapy has helped very volatile autistic children and teenagers to become calmer and more open to new experiences.
One boy spoke his first word in music therapy, and then began to reveal more of his personality, previously hidden behind an impassive mask. A class teacher said:
“Music provides a stimulus and motivates our pupils to become more aware, alert, active and to anticipate, respond and express their feelings.”
Outreach in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire
Christine Rocca and Cathy Bowker work extensively with groups of children with autism and deafness, their families and carers.
Headway Thames Valley, Henley
In 2003 the Friends of Henley Festival Society approached Nordoff-Robbins Outreach about setting up a music therapy project in Henley-upon-Thames. In 2004 music therapy began in Headway Thames Valley, Henley – a resource centre for people with a brain injury and their families and carers.
Sharon Warnes works here for one day a week providing music therapy for small groups and individual clients, as well as running a choir for clients, staff and families.
Child 
Adult 
SRA Return the completed referral form via email, fax or post. You will then be offered an appointment for an initial consultation session. If it is agreed that music therapy would be of benefit, we will contact you as soon as a place becomes available.
Nordoff Robbins Central West
If you are interesting in finding out more about any aspect of the work of Nordoff Robbins in the Central West region, or you would like to set up or request a music therapy service, please contact the Head Music Therapist.
Rachel Millman - Head Music Therapist
Tel: 07779 663797
Email: nrmt.southwest@nordoff-robbins.org.uk
Rachel Millman is a flautist, and trained as a music therapist in 1994. She has worked with children and adults of all ages in various settings, including schools, hospitals, care homes and community projects. Now based in Dorset, Rachel has been Head Music Therapist of Nordoff Robbins South West since January 2006. She additionally assumed responsibility for Nordoff Robbins Central West in 2010. She is currently working on projects with people with dementia and neuro-disabilities.