Sally Joyce had a front row seat to the power of music therapy before she’d even heard of it as such. “Way back as a teenager,” she says, “I was a counselor at a camp for developmentally delayed children. Many were nonresponsive, with very little participation in activities. But when I did music with those kids, there was singing and moving!”
She did some research, and found her calling. “Here was a field that combined my love of music with my interest in a health career working with people.”
Sally earned her degree from Duquesne University, and worked in school systems and nursing homes. She retired to Cape Cod after 20 years with the Quincy, MA public schools. Today, she travels often, goes to lots of concerts, skis every winter, and is delighted to be practicing music therapy with Cape Symphony. “I missed the work! It was never just a job, it’s part of who I am.”
She led a summer group for the Riverview School’s innovative new Friends Forever program, and groups are planned to begin at Cape Symphony in January 2026. She also led a Professional Development workshop for music educators through the Cape Cod Collaborative. “I love helping music educators who are being asked to do more with special needs students, without having had any coursework in special education. Professional development workshops help them use music toward therapeutic goals.”
Music therapy doesn’t teach music, she notes. “I'm not a music educator. I use music to help students work on nonmusical goals, like communication, socialization, motor skills, or behavior regulation. Strategies such as singing, movement, and songwriting can help children and adults achieve those goals.” Music is a universal language, she says, and can transcend other challenges in ways traditional therapies can’t.
How does it work? Before meeting them, Sally will learn all she can about her students. One might need to work on focusing, or listening to others. Another might need help with self-expression, or maintaining eye contact. “Many children I work with are on the autism spectrum; difficulty with eye contact is not unusual,” says Sally. The first group meeting helps Sally identify specific goals for each student. Subsequent sessions are designed around those.
“A lot of what I do is to create musical activities that are fun, and get them involved,” says Sally. “Behind all of that, I have goals.” Language is a very common challenge, and progress though music therapy can be dramatic. “A child will learn a song in my group. One day I’ll sing it partway through, and then stop. The child, wanting that music structure, will fill in the next word. It’s kind of magical, very exciting.” Tearful parents have told Sally “that’s the first word I have ever heard my child express.”
The magic happens for adults, as well. Sally describes leading a sing-a-long with nursing home residents, one of whom was aphasic after a stroke, “yet I realized he was singing every word… Music stimulates so much of the brain… it can help people relearn speech.
“This is the power of what music can do.”
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Cape Symphony is developing Music Therapy groups to begin in January 2026. For more information, or to inquire about individual sessions, email
