Doctor Al Fuller

Dr Al Fuller, PhD, RMT, is recognised a leader within the MusicTherapy@Western team and Master of Creative Music Therapy (MCMT) program at Western Sydney University. A Registered Music Therapist for almost 30 years, Al’s practice and research areas span child, adolescent, and adult practice across neurodiversity, disability, rehabilitation and aged care, family-centred and culture-centred practice, and the use of innovative technologies in music therapy.

Al’s doctoral research (Western Sydney University, 2022) investigated the integration of visual supports within music therapy practice across face-to-face and telepractice settings. This work underpins her ongoing projects in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), telehealth music therapy, and music therapy higher education. She has published widely in leading journals and contributed to books, including the Oxford Handbook of Improvisation in Music Therapy (in press) and Clinical Decision-Making in Music Therapy: Case Studies (Barcelona Publishers, 2023). Al was guest editor of the 2021 special issue of the Australian Journal of Music Therapy on telehealth, and has presented spotlight presentations and invited talks internationally, including at the 2023 World Congress of Music Therapy in Vancouver, to a delegation of over 800 attendees.

As DAP and APA of the MCMT, Al leads with a strengths-based and inclusive ethos grounded in care ethics. She works closely with the program’s academic and professional staff, and has overseen sustained growth in MCMT enrolments and international engagement. Under her leadership, the program has introduced innovations in admissions, curriculum design, Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Indigenous-focused curriculum, and quality benchmarking.

Al is the founding project lead of MusicTherapy@Western, which brings together postgraduate education, research, undergraduate teaching, and the MusicTherapy@Western Centre. The Centre is situated on-campus, and partners with Resourced Music Therapy to provide Work Integrated Learning placements for MCMT students, expanding practice opportunities while strengthening community and industry connections. Her research and leadership have attracted multiple competitive grants and awards, including the WSU Research Champion Grant (2021), the Australian Music Therapy Association Research Excellence Award (AMTA, 2022), the Vice-Chancellor’s Professional Development Scholarship (WSU, 2022), the School of Humanities and Communication Arts Research Infrastructure Funding (WSU, 2023), and most recently the Institute of Culture and Society Collaboration Grant (WSU, 2025). She has also completed training through the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy.

Beyond Western Sydney University, Al has held senior roles with the Australian Music Therapy Association (including Vice-President, Education Committee University Course Director representative, and National Conference Host) and has served on the Telehealth Special Interest Group of the International Association of Music and Medicine.

Al’s current HDR supervision reflects the breadth of contemporary music therapy research. Projects under her supervision include: culture-centred resources to support cognitive capacities of first-generation Bangladeshi-Australians; performing disability and creating a voice for students with unique learning needs; exploration of Work Integrated Learning practices in university music therapy centres; musically guided pathways to mindful attention and meditation; family-centred music therapy supporting patients and families through end-of-life soundscapes; and an integrative review of music therapy with preterm infants and their families after hospital discharge. Together these projects demonstrate her commitment to advancing music therapy across cultural, educational, therapeutic, and research contexts.

Al’s current research centres on embedding culturally responsive practices in music therapy services for Indigenous Australians with disabilities, strengthening community partnerships, and translating knowledge into curriculum reform. She continues to shape music therapy education nationally and internationally, with a commitment to inclusive, future-focused training and research that amplifies music’s role in health, education, and community contexts.