About Hope Young, Founder & President of The Center for Music Therapy

Hope Young, MT-BC, is the founder and President of the Center for Music Therapy, Inc. in Austin, Texas. She is also the Executive Producer of the Movement Tracks Project and the Executive Director of Soundwell Austin (501c3). She received her degree in Music Therapy in 1989 from the University of the Pacific, Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California.

Ms. Young speaks and consults nationally and internationally on music therapy.  She has led her field in securing third party reimbursement for music therapy since the early 1990s and continues to break new ground in business development.  She can be found on television, radio, and in print media having been featured on such programs as the BBC and CBS 48 Hours with Dan Rather, educating the public about music therapy and promoting music therapy as a profession.  Ms. Young is also recognized nationally and internationally in such publications as The Journal of the American Medical Association, Shape Magazine, The Wall Street Report, and New York Times Bestseller: The Mozart Effect.  Various other newspapers, journals, and books have written about Ms. Young and her work including the following: The Austin American Statesman, the Austin Business Journal, Austin Fit Magazine,  Kevin and Me, Pain Management In Older Adults, the Journal for Long Term Care, and Advance (the nation’s leading newsmagazine for Physical Therapy).  Ms. Young was awarded the Intelligent Health Award for her innovations in music based biotechnologies, the "Harmony Award" in her field for Clinical Practice and received the “Young Outstanding Alumni” award from her alma mater, University of the Pacific.  

Ms. Young is also the founder of Soundwell Labs (a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation), which sponsors Team I AM/I CAN. An amateur sports team Ms. Young founded and coachw, for person with limited mobility to participate in 5/10k events, triathlons, marathons and much more.  Ms. Young is involved in a variety of music industry and health related projects. She formerly served as chair of the Music Cares Musicians Health Committee for the Texas Chapter of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and as a frequent guest panelist at the NARAS Grammy in the Schools.  She also has consulted on several documentary projects, research studies and health technologies related projects such as the Movement Tracks Project.  Ms. Young has patents on file related to music technologies, which integrate with biomedical technologies to improve children with Cerebral Palsy ability to learn to walk and adults with Parkinson's disease ability to walk. The work from these technology projects led Ms. Young to found her new software company, Biomedical Music Solutions, Inc. (BMS) in April, 2018.

Since age 13, Ms. Young has had an intense vision and focus to create a community center where through the arts, especially music, the spirit could find voice, take flight, and soar free from life's bonds and chains.  Not until age 18 did she find out about music therapy and began her quest for a degree in music therapy.  Music therapy became her vehicle to pursue her dream and actualize that dream into reality for herself and the community she serves.  Her company is celebrating its 30th year, and her vision for the next 30 years leads a new generation in music therapy to create healthcare solutions through innovations in music technologies which bring the power of music to help, heal, and treat all the isolated and underserved communities of the world.

If you wish to book Ms. Young for a speaking engagement, workshop, consultation for media, technology, music industry project, career/professional mentoring, or reimbursement advisory/consulting, please email her at admin@centerformusictherapy.com.   All travel expenses, including meals, must be provided in addition to speaking and consulting fees.