Youth-powered music therapy for special needs students

Founded by youth for youth

Music for Every Child, an initiative led by high school students, aims to create inclusive and quality education for kids with special needs. It achieves this by funding and organizing music therapy programs in public schools across Ontario.

Get InvolvedOur Merch

Supporting kids

Helping kids with special needs through music therapy

Mobilizing youth

Paving the way for youth to make meaningful impact

Advocating

Engaging the community to create a more interconnected world

We’ve seen great things happen when we empower youth and ignite their potential:

classes supported by MFEC per year

youth volunteers engaged

special needs children benefit from MFEC year round

Impact stories

Brookview Middle School

(TDSB Inner City Model School)

“We cannot thank Music for Every Child enough for their hard work and dedication in fundraising to make this experience possible. These sessions have been fun, engaging, and accessible, and have allowed our students to express themselves musically in a way they never have before. It truly has been an unforgettable experience that we hope they can continue to enjoy year after year. Thanks again!”

– Danny Gallucci, Principal and Gary Bertao, Special-Ed Teacher

Henry Hudson Senior Public School

(TDSB Inner City Model School)

“Music for Every Child (MFEC) is one of those TDSB partnerships that has met an immediate need for our students and school community. Through music therapy, our students have learned to express themselves through music and art. They participate in the learning at their own pace. The atmosphere is calming, and, as a result, our students are typically relaxed. We have been privileged to have MFEC provide music therapy twice a week.”

– Shalomi Bhoolai, Vice Principal

Charles G Fraser Junior Public School

“Music For Every Child brings extremely inclusive programming to our school. We saw firsthand how much joy it brought to our kids, seeing them move, play instruments, make beats to music they love so freely and creatively. It’s also good that there is structure and the therapist helps set clear boundaries, which works well with special needs students. The goodbye song made a kid cry once!”

– Crystal Lo, Special-Ed Teacher

Heydon Park Secondary School

“Our students enjoy the experience very much. It allows them to participate in activities that are fun and relaxing. Music activities build the community and continue to develop friendships. Students’ musical skills and knowledge are enriched by the experience of the creative process. Musical therapy’s sensory activities engage a variety of senses. This allows students to improve their mood, settle down anxiety and unwanted behaviours. Therapy connects related to arts sensory and other experiences with the Arts Curriculum. It is enjoyable and helps students feel they belong.”

– Veronika Belova, Music/ Special Needs Teacher
(Heydon Park Secondary School is TDSB’s only small student-centred public high school for young women, transgender & non-binary students)

Oodenawi Public School (Oakville)

“Thank you for sharing!!! We LOVE our music therapy. I honestly can’t even capture in words how Abby comes in and just brings everyone together. We LOVE Mondays with music Therapy 💕💕”

– Mary Burrell, Special-Ed Teacher

Wellington Music Therapy Services

“Our vision and mission fully align with that of Music for Every Child, as this amazing group is making music therapy programming accessible for students and schools who would like to add it to their educational complement for disabled children. Without this organization, our team feels that we would never have been able to access these students, as often music is overlooked as a tool for therapy, developmental support, and a powerful tool for supporting a child’s psychosocial wellbeing.”

– Mary Meads, Clinical Director

DrumIn

“The session went well and students were very engaged, during the session there were many teachers, school staff and even the principal came for a visit and observed us. We received very good comments from the teachers after the session. One of the highlights is that they noticed some students were able to follow instructions well and engaged in the music making activities. They loved the energy we brought to the team. One teacher also expressed that she enjoyed the session so much. When I asked how they felt at the end of the session, here are the words they told the group: alive, peace, energy, calm, teamwork.

– Samuel Liu, Drum Circle Facilitator

 

 

Dolphin Sr Public School (Mississauga)

“Music Therapy has been fantastic for our students in the SPEARS class at Dolphin Sr. P.S. It provides them with opportunities to explore instruments that create different sounds, sing/listen to songs with different rhythms and tempos, and spend time engaging and interacting with their peers, educators, and music therapists in an experience that is tailored specifically to make them smile. The program is modified, accommodated and adapted so every child can participate to their full extent and it is something that they look forward to each week. The social and emotional development opportunities that music therapy provides our class means our students are learning skills and tools that they can take with them when they move on from the program. We are forever grateful for the experiences and joy that music therapy brings us every week.”

– Ms. Telford, Educational Assistant

 

 

Parents’ Testimonies

“As a mother of two special needs students, it warms my heart to see people like you doing these kinds of things to help them out. It makes a huge difference in their lives!!” – Anne, Parent  

“The music therapy sessions bring lots of joy to her. She really really loves it. She loves singing, she loves playing instruments – it’s like a party for her. It brings her out of her shell. She wants to join in and participate. That’s a big challenge when you’re a special needs child, for you to have that enthusiasm, to be in a team, and to socialize and have fun. It relaxes her; her behaviour and mood changes. And her concentration becomes 100% because she loves music therapy.” – Kamala, Parent



Sponsor a student

By donating $30 per month—less than $1 per day—you can fully fund music therapy sessions every week for a neurodivergent student for an entire year! When you support Music for Every Child, you’ll also encourage and mobilize the next generation of volunteers to continue making the world a better place.

We’re sharing the joy of music in:

cities across Ontario

public schools

school boards

Get to know Music For Every Child and founder Samantha Fung

Who we are

Helping children and youth become the best they can be

We are a youth-led, registered charity organization run by students ages 8 – 23. Music For Every Child initiates and funds music therapy programming for children with special needs in inner city schools. Through the universal language of music, we help students develop important skills including socio-emotional, communication, and behavioural regulation. We are currently official Educational Partners with Toronto District School Board, partnering with educators and professionals across Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, and Oakville. We hope to continue expanding our program to help those in need!

Music for Every Child