Tara Del Borrello’s Music Therapy Journey
From her early love of music to her work today at Perth Children’s Hospital and in private practice, Tara Del Borrello (Class of 2005) has built a career that brings creativity and care together. In this alumni story, the Registered and Neurologic Music Therapist explains how music therapy supports infants, children and young people, and how her own path led her from performance to purpose.
Tara's Story
Music has always helped me understand who I am and how I relate to the world. As a teenager at Santa Maria College, I lived in choirs, drama rehearsals and music rooms. I studied violin from the age of six and later voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). For a long time, I assumed I’d sing professionally forever.
I lived in Sydney for a decade, performing at pubs and events and singing backing vocals for Australian artists including Conrad Sewell and Amy Shark. I valued the sense of community in the arts and contributing to Australia’s creative culture. Since being back in WA, I’ve performed with Ministry of Sound and recorded with local favourites Katy Steele and Kav Temperley. I still perform locally, as singing remains part of who I am, but in my mid-twenties, I began to crave work that felt more purposeful. In 2016, a chance conversation with a music therapist at a gig opened a new door for me. Music therapy. A profession I’d never heard of. I went home, did some research and realised there was a way that I could keep music at the centre of my life while supporting people in practical, measurable ways.
I’m now a Registered and Neurologic Music Therapist (RMT/NMT) working at Perth Children’s Hospital and in my private practice, Sol Music Therapy. My purpose now sits with using music to help children and their families meet their health, functioning and wellbeing goals. I’ve never looked back.
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is the intentional use of music by a registered music therapist to support health, functioning and wellbeing (Australian Music Therapy Association, 2025). Music therapists complete a specialised master’s degree and are registered with the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA). We are trained with unique knowledge, understanding and skills in how music impacts complex neurological structures and behaviours, and the therapeutic use of music. We use live music responsively to prime, cue, regulate and enhance outcomes across physical and psychosocial domains.
Why music? Because it is processed broadly across the brain, supports neuroplasticity and releases neurotransmitters and hormones involved in emotional, behavioural and cognitive functioning. By shaping rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics and tempo in real time, music therapists can elicit reliable neurological responses. In paediatrics, integrating music therapy is associated with reduced distress, greater engagement and meaningful functional gains.
What this Looks Like With Children and Young People
Music therapy is tailored to the individual. With infants, sessions may focus on supporting infant-caregiver connection. We use familiar songs to help caregivers read their babies’ cues and use infant-directed singing to build a foundation for secure attachment, co-regulation and cognitive growth. In neonatal and early-infancy contexts, music therapy is linked with improved physiological stability, feeding and parent-infant interaction.
With toddlers, playful songs with clear ‘stops’ can build turn-taking, impulse control and joint attention, which are foundational for participation in early learning. On the wards, music therapy can support mood and coping, help orient to time and place, reduce pain perception and offer a safe container for self-expression through songwriting, instrument play or therapeutic singing. In rehabilitation, rhythm can cue and organise gait and upper-limb timing with less cognitive load than verbal instructions. For speech, pairing words with music uses rhythm to pace airflow and melody to map pitch patterns, which strengthens breath control, articulation and syllable timing. Across all ages, these are some examples of how music therapy can support function across developmental domains.
Music Therapy in the Acute Paediatric Hospital Setting
As part of the allied health team, music therapists work toward shared goals that enhance a child’s experience and recovery. We aim to minimise deconditioning through developmentally appropriate music, movement and play, help manage symptoms and treatment side effects (pain, anxiety, nausea, breathlessness, sleep), and contribute to rehabilitation alongside physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and psychology.
Creativity and Evidence Together
Effective music therapy is responsive. Because sessions use live music, we can adjust tempo (speed), dynamics (loudness) and texture (how many sounds at once) in the moment to suit the child. We might slow the beat to match their breathing, simplify the harmony if sound feels ‘too busy’, or repeat a steady pattern to help a new movement stick – drawing on rhythmic entrainment to support motor learning and regulation. We build agency with simple choices and practical routines. Each adjustment is intentional and tied to a specific goal with clear clinical reasoning.
Considering a Creative-Arts Pathways?
If you’re drawn to creative industries – on stage, in studios or in allied-health roles like music therapy:
- Master your craft. A strong foundation is important.
- Build transferable skills. Listening, collaboration, clear communication and time management to use across settings.
- Diversify. Multiple income streams (performance, teaching, session work, composing/arranging, online programs or further study) make a creative career more robust.
- Find your community. Seek mentors/peers who offer honest feedback.
- Stay curious. Read widely, observe thoughtfully and welcome new opportunities.
- Prioritise self-care. Protect both the art and the artist.
Tara’s story reminds us that creative passions can open meaningful and unexpected pathways. Through music therapy, she is using her gifts to support children and families with care, connection and purpose.
- Alumni Stories, career pathways after school, Catholic Girls’ School Alumni, creative arts careers, music and wellbeing, music therapy perth, Perth Children’s Hospital, Santa Maria College, women in allied health
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
From the President – May 2026
Santa Maria College alumni can look forward to several upcoming events in 2026. These include a joint alumni event with Aquinas College later in the year, a movie night at Windsor Theatre Nedlands in late July, and the Pleiades Meeting hosted at Santa Maria College in August. The update also encourages support for the College’s Winter Appeal.
Expression of Interest – Explore8 Guest Speakers 2026
Santa Maria College is inviting alumni to submit an expression of interest to speak in the 2026 Explore8 program. Explore8 is a real-world learning experience for Year 8 students focused on research, problem solving and innovation in response to community and global challenges. Guest speakers help students connect ideas to lived experience by sharing their career journeys, challenges and impact.
Tara Del Borrello’s Music Therapy Journey
Music therapy is the intentional use of music by a registered music therapist to support health, functioning and wellbeing. In this alumni story, Tara Del Borrello explains how music therapy can help infants, children and young people with regulation, communication, rehabilitation and recovery. Her journey shows how a creative background can lead to meaningful work in healthcare.
