Joy Khau
About
Joy is a graduating student music therapist and experienced music educator with over two decades of involvement in inclusive arts education and community engagement in Singapore. Guided by a humanistic, resource-oriented, and culturally responsive approach, she believes in the power of music to foster connection, emotional expression, healing, and meaningful participation across diverse populations and care contexts.
Through her clinical placements at Assisi Hospice, St Luke's Hospital, and Montfort Care, Joy has supported individuals across palliative care, dementia care, rehabilitation, and community mental health settings. Her work includes facilitating individual and group music therapy sessions for clients experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and mild cognitive impairment. Drawing from evidence-based and integrative approaches, she incorporates songwriting, improvisation, receptive experiences, and recreative music interventions to support emotional regulation, self-expression, social connection, and cognitive and physical engagement.
Joy is also passionate about advocacy and increasing awareness of music therapy within Singapore’s healthcare and community landscape. Her research explored caregivers’ awareness, knowledge, and receptivity towards music therapy for Persons with Disabilities in Singapore, with particular focus on clarifying the distinctions between music therapy and music education. As part of this work, she presented a webinar titled Introduction to Music Therapy for Caregivers, reflecting her commitment to education, accessibility, and community outreach.
She remains dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through compassionate, ethical, and creative therapeutic practice.
Caregivers’ perceptions of music therapy in Singapore: A pre- and post-webinar survey study
In Singapore, music therapy remains as an emerging profession due to its limited access, however, in recent years, there has been an increasing attention and greater awareness through various advocacy platforms.
This study seeks to explore caregivers’ awareness, knowledge and receptivity towards music therapy for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Singapore; and examine their understanding of the distinctions between music therapy and music education.
A total of (N = 15) caregivers who met the inclusion criteria, completed both pre- and post-webinar surveys, and participated in an educational webinar An Introduction to Music Therapy for Caregivers, conducted synchronously and asynchronously. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics to identify changes and discover trends. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used to determine the significance of these changes.
Findings indicated more than two-fold increase in the understanding and awareness of the term “music therapy” and improved perceptions of msuic therapy. Caregivers increasingly recognised music therapy as a distinct and valuable intervention, particularly in supporting emotional, social, and communication needs.
Overall, the pre and post-survey findings suggest that the webinar was effective in enhancing caregivers’ understanding of music therapy, reducing misconceptions about its equivalence with music education, and increasing confidence in its role as a specialised and complementary intervention.
These shifts suggest that targeted educational efforts, such as a webinar, can play a significant role in shaping caregiver perceptions and influence decision-making.
Professional practice
Joy’s professional practice is grounded in an integrative and research-informed approach to music therapy and inclusive arts practice. Drawing from a diverse range of creative and therapeutic methods, she adapts her work across clinical, educational, and community settings to meet the unique strengths, lived experiences, and goals of each individual. Her approach is person-centred, culturally responsive, and guided by a strong commitment to meaningful human connection through music and the arts.
Professionally, Joy is passionate about creating accessible and empowering opportunities for vulnerable and underserved communities. She has been actively involved in the development of inclusive programmes and community-based initiatives that support persons with disabilities, older adults, caregivers, and individuals experiencing mental health challenges. Her work seeks to foster participation, dignity, belonging, and holistic well-being through collaborative and creative engagement.
Joy’s professional interests include mental health, dementia care, caregiver support, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public awareness of music therapy and special needs. She is particularly interested in exploring how music therapy can be meaningfully integrated within broader systems of care and community support.
Her practice is further shaped by a critical and reflexive perspective that integrates contemporary research, ethical considerations, and culturally sensitive frameworks into both clinical work and programme development. Through creative practice and scholarly inquiry, Joy aims to contribute towards greater accessibility, advocacy, and understanding of music therapy in Singapore and beyond.
Valerie Teo Minyi
Chia Jing Xuan (Jingle)
Cassandra Chng
Valerie Tiong Hui Ling
Joycelyn Sim
Jeremy Nuyda Joson
