Meet Gabriel,

Hi everyone,

My name is Zhengyao (Gabriel) Guo (he/him). I’m a Registered Music Therapist, accredited with the Australian Music Therapy Association since 2020, living and working on the land of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples (Melbourne). I am currently a Graduate Researcher at the University of Melbourne. My research and practice are informed by Critical Theory and centre on people from non-dominant cultural backgrounds.

  • Education

    2023-Present:

    PhD student (Music Therapy) - The University of Melbourne

    2019 -2020:

    Master of Music Therapy - The University of Melbourne

    Professional Presentations:

    Guo, Z. (2021). Invisible behind the scene’: unheard voice from an international students experiencing mental distress during a COVID-19 lockdown. Pechakucha presented at the 47th National Conference of the Australian Music Therapy Association, Melbourne, Australia. (Denise Grocke Student/New Grad Award)

    Wen, Y., Lv, Z., & Guo, Z. (2018). Interactive music therapy as a non-pharmacological sedative for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving PICC. Paper presented at the 5th international conference of the international association for music and medicine, Barcelona, Spain.

 

Why Am I Here?

This is my personal website where I share resources, reflections, and updates related to my music therapy practice and research. It’s a space for documenting and exploring what I’m learning, creating, and thinking about as I continue to develop my work as a music therapy practitioner and researcher. Here, I aim to provide insights into music therapy within multicultural contexts, a topic I am deeply passionate about.

Essencial Principles


Intersectionality

Intersectionality offers a way to move beyond one-size-fits-all assumptions in care. It recognises that lived experiences are shaped by overlapping social positions (e.g., culture, gender, age, ability, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status).

Cultural Fluidity

Culture is never static. Music offers a space to navigate our fluidity—where we drift and return, uncover and reshape, learn and relearn ways of being, connecting, and belonging.

Solidarity

Solidarity emphasises shared responsibility and action for justice, standing with and supporting those whose voices are often unheard, while challenging systemic power imbalances that disadvantage culturally minoritised communities.