About Us
Our Mission
The Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund exists to increase access to music therapy in Texas by providing financial assistance to clients and interns.
Diversity, equity, & inclusion
Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund believes that marginalized communities must be centered in the work we do. We offer our programs to anyone in the state of Texas regardless of race or ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religious belief, political belief, or disability, and we stand for fairness, equity, and inclusion.
The mission of Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund is to increase access to music therapy in our state. We recognize that there are numerous systemic barriers to obtaining and maintaining therapy services. Our organization was founded to mitigate these inequities.
Our action steps:
- Maintain a scholarship application review process that minimizes bias and supports diverse populations.
- Support marginalized voices by sharing their perspectives through social media posts that align with our mission.
- Train our board. We continue to research books, training opportunities, and resources to educate and equip our board and volunteers.
- Diversify our board to more appropriately reflect our community. We recognize that our board members are predominantly white, while the Texas population is beautifully diverse.
Our Team
Nikki Belshe Lanza
President of the Board
Nikki Belshe Lanza, MNLM, MT-BC, is founder and current President of the Board for the Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund. She is also founder and Clinical Director of Heart and Harmony Music Therapy, a private practice serving urban and rural communities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Nikki was an honoree in the 2020 Forty Under Forty Awards from Fort Worth Business Press.
David Belshe, Nikki’s late husband, worked alongside her as a music therapist for nearly a decade. Over the years they saw a big need for additional funding sources for music therapy in their community. Starting a nonprofit to increase access to music therapy was a long time goal for the couple.
After David’s death in 2018, a generous donation raised by the student organization at his alma mater, Colorado State University, lit a fire under Nikki. She used that donation to found the Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund. Nikki then pursued and graduated from Arizona State University’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management program.
Nikki has worked primarily with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 2009. She was a participant in The Arc Of Texas Partners in Disability Leadership program for 2021. Nikki is passionate about autonomy and human rights.
You can probably find Nikki somewhere outdoors: digging in the garden, watching birds, reading in the hammock, or – most likely – being chased by her kiddos.
William Hayter
President-Elect
William Hayter plays and teaches clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone. As a soloist, Dr. Hayter has appeared in Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States, including world, European, and national premiere performances, in addition to numerous concerts as a chamber musician and free improvisor. Dr. Hayter teaches at Tarrant County College and previously taught at Midwestern State University, Kilgore College, and public schools throughout Texas.
Dr. Hayter holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Texas Christian University, a Master of Music from Codarts, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Houston.
Lori Archibald
Secretary of the Board
Ellie Sloan
Treasurer of the Board
Ellie Sloan graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in History, and the University of Kent in Athens where she received her master’s degree in Heritage Management, nonprofit administration. Ellie has a background in grant writing and nonprofit development and currently serves as the Serving and Volunteer Coordinator at The Grove Church in Dallas and assists nonprofits with grant writing.
Outside of work, Ellie serves in the Belong disAbility Ministry performing arts programs in Highland Park.
Ana-Alicia Lopez
Board Member
Ana-Alicia Lopez, MM, MT-BC is a board-certified Music Therapist in Fort Myers, FL. She received her undergraduate Music Therapy degree from Sam Houston State University and her master’s in Music Therapy, with an emphasis in Neurologic Music Therapy, from Colorado State University. She has been a Board-Certified Music Therapist working in private practice since 2009.
After moving to Fort Myers in 2017, Ana expanded her practice with her husband, business partner, and manager, Chris Howard. Together, they created what is now known as The House of Music Therapy, LLC.
The House of Music Therapy, LLC provides individual and group music therapy and adaptive music services across the lifespan. In early March, The House of Music Therapy transitioned their team of six Music Therapists to providing 100% Telehealth services. Combining the clinical knowledge from Ana and the technical knowledge from Chris, The House of Music Therapy has become a leader in the field of Music Therapy Telehealth. Ana and Chris plan to continue their education in virtual practices in order to make music therapy more accessible and available to the more rural and isolated communities in Florida.
Kendall Moore
Board Member
Kendall Moore, DMA, is a composer, arranger, educator, and brass specialist living in Huntsville, TX. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Instrumental Performance from University of Miami. Moore has previously taught music theory, music appreciation, and brass methods and ensembles at Sam Houston State University, Texas Southern University, and Houston Community College. Kendall is passionate about cultivating a community of healing, reconciliation and prosperity in rural and urban underserved communities of color, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Eden Theological Seminary. His partner Carolyn is an active music therapist and professor and her endeavors inspired Kendall to learn about how music therapy services could be beneficial to underserved communities in the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Texas.
As an educator, working with students representing a range of social and demographic backgrounds helped Kendall to develop understanding of the state-specific issues of inequity and lack of available resources to access educational, mental health, and economic support. Many of his students desired to study music with a goal of giving back to their communities, yet clear inequities existed in their ability to gain access to the tools necessary to be of maximum service to their communities in this capacity – lack of quality instruments, limited access to affordable private lessons, and lack of mentors to provide guidance.
Issues of equity are not just prevalent in music education, but also in all things health-related, particularly in Texas for Black and Brown communities and for minoritized individuals and families. Increasing access to music therapy, including supporting music therapy interns and clients, not only benefits the individuals, but also the communities they represent. Kendall is thrilled to be able to advocate for increased access to music therapy services as a FWMTF board member!
Laura Singletary
Board Member
Dr. Laura Singletary is Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for Instrumental Music Education at Texas Christian University. Singletary is an active researcher, conductor, and teacher. She has presented at state and national conferences including the Florida Music Educators Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, and the National Association for Music Education National Conference. Singletary’s research interests include music teacher education, young band instruction, individualized instruction in the beginning band setting, and time use in the secondary instrumental classroom.
Laura Singletary completed her Ph.D. degree in music education at Florida State University, and earned her Master of Science degree in music education from the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana. She earned Bachelor Degrees from Florida State University in music education and flute performance. Prior to her graduate work at FSU, Singletary taught secondary instrumental music for twenty years in Georgia and Florida, working with middle school and high school band and orchestra students in a variety of educational settings. She is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), The International Society for Music Education (ISME), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), The Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity (PBM). Singletary is proud to serve on the board of the Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund.
Anastasia Taylor
Board Member
Anastasia lives in the Fort Worth area and enjoys spending time with her kiddos and two dogs. She is very passionate about foster/adoption causes and is a foster/adoptive parent herself. Two of Anastasia’s children are also on the Autism Spectrum so she is both personally and professionally aware of the many challenges families face with their unique struggles and strengths. It is for this reason, that she seeks to devote her time personally and professionally to causes understanding the mental health and developmental challenges that families may experience, and work to make interventions affordable and accessible.
Outside of her time on the Board of the Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund, Anastasia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Supervisor (LCSW-S) who works full-time as the CEO of Alliance Child & Family Solutions (ACFS). She is bilingual in Spanish/English and is passionate about providing services that meet clients where they are at in their journey. Though much of her time is devoted to the daily operations of ACFS and working with community partners such as Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund, she still holds a small therapy caseload of her own. Anastasia works with ages 3 – 103 and specializes in working with foster care and adoption, blended families, life transitions in late adulthood, social-emotional learning, and trauma for individuals of all ages.
In her free time, she enjoys a wide variety of interests, including traveling, puzzles, the arts, crafting, gardening, volunteering, sports activities for her children, and frequenting various coffee shops. She is also a proud member of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. and upholds the mission, vision, and motto today.
Our Code of ethics
All board members, staff members, and volunteers will abide by the following ethical principles while representing Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund:
Principle 1: Integrity
Act with integrity and veracity; file appropriate disclosures of financial, organizational, and legal nature; maintain adequate documentation; report potential ethical violations; and report illegal actions in accordance with the law.
Principle 2: Inclusivity
Disallow discrimination of any type; promote a culture of absolute inclusivity; identify and address personal biases; collaborate with others; and respect and protect the dignity and rights of all.
Principle 3: Governance
Promote the mission of the organization; possess the skills necessary to serve; fulfill responsibilities for the benefit of the organization and its public purposes; maintain oversight of programs, policies, finances, operations, and overall commitment to the mission.
Principle 4: Accountability
Fulfill professional and legal obligations to the organization in accordance with local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and employer policies; demonstrate responsible stewardship of all revenue; maintain adequate internal controls that include filings and/or audits conducted by a third-party certified public accounting firm; cooperate with all procedures and policies.
Principle 5: Conduct
Maintain professional conduct through continuous learning and personal growth; use caution and critical thinking when necessary; refrain from illegal and unethical actions; and encourage others to uphold legal and ethical actions.
What we do
Founded in 2019, Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund provides Music Therapy Grants to individuals seeking music therapy services and Internship Scholarships to music therapy students completing an internship as part of their course requirements for an accredited music therapy program.
Why we do it
In the state of Texas
01. Health Insurance
Health insurance companies occasionally cover music therapy. When covered, it is almost always considered out of pocket. This means that individuals often have to meet high deductible costs before even beginning the fight for coverage.
However…
Many wait more than a decade to receive class waiver services
03. Out-of-Pocket Pay
Because insurance coverage is difficult to obtain and waivers have long interest lists, many people are forced to pay out of pocket for their services. This causes financial strain that often forces families to choose between therapies.
Solution:
Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund
Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund was founded to support individuals, families, and facilities so that they do not fall between these funding gaps.
