Nikki Belshe, 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.

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. She was also accepted into Arizona State University’s Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management program.

Nikki has worked primarily with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 2009 and is a professional member of Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). She is passionate about autonomy and human rights. 

You can probably find Nikki somewhere outdoors: digging in the garden, watching birds, gazing at stars, or – most likely – being chased by her kiddos.

Working as an executive assistant/meeting coordinator for twenty years has allowed Lori the opportunity to help people find success in reaching their business goals. This type of work is a perfect fit with her ability to organize, strategize and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. Supporting people in doing their best work is what she enjoys most about her job, “I like to see people succeed”.

Lori is passionate about volunteering and working to support her community. She has volunteered as a child advocate at CASA of Tarrant County and was named as one of their Rookies of the Year. She was also an usher at Bass Hall for many years. One of her most life changing volunteer experiences was volunteering at Ground Zero feeding the workers after the September 11th terrorist attack. She currently volunteers at her church, does some tutoring on the side and is serving as a Tarrant County Election Judge.

Outside of work Lori enjoys all things theater, watching classic movies & TV sitcoms and keeping up with the reading assignments from her many book clubs. You can often find her curled up on the couch with her sweet dog Joey, a book, her journal and a hot cup of peppermint tea.

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.