San Diego Music Therapy for Children

San Diego Music Therapy for Children

Coast Music Therapy passionately strives to be best in serving one demographic in San Diego county: youth with special needs. Our staff of board certified music therapists direct their focus and apply their special knowledge to the distinct needs of learners with autism, developmental disabilities, neurologic impairments, and mental health challenges. Coast Music Therapy treatments draw from research-based techniques from the fields of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). Our team of enthusiastic therapists provide IEP music therapy services in San Diego county schools and after-school programs in our Mira Mesa clinic location.

Serving the Special Needs Community

• 12 board certified music therapists
• 25 past and present San Diego county school districts served
• 200+ past and present families enrolled in after-school programs
• 1000+ past and present students served through the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

1998     Michelle Lazar, MA, MT–BC, a Michigan native, completes her undergraduate studies in music therapy and relocates to San Diego to complete an internship with MusicWorx Inc. Not missing the bitter Midwest cold and icy windshields, Michelle makes San Diego her permanent home.

1999     Michelle founds Coast Music Therapy in order to help meet the great need in the San Diego community for a music therapy agency dedicated to the unique needs of youth with autism and developmental disabilities.

2000     Michelle introduces music therapy services to San Diego County school districts and fosters long-term partnerships that are still in place today. To meet the growing demand, Coast Music Therapy adds several talented board certified music therapists to the staff.

2004     Coast Music Therapy realizes a dream of publishing a music-assisted learning curriculum for special education called Tuned in to Learning.

Visit the Tuned in to Learning Website»»

2006     Coast Music Therapy moves into a clinic space centrally located in Mira Mesa and begins offering after-school sessions alongside Crimson Center for Speech & Language and other special needs providers. Coast Music Therapy students participate in the first annual Star Student Recital.

2011     Coast Music Therapy expands its clinic space to include a separate administrative office and transforms the previous office space into a state-of-the-art recording studio.

2012     Coast Music Therapy graduate Joel Anderson hosts the seventh annual Star Student Recital, demonstrating the limitless possibilities for students with autism and related needs.

2013     Thanks to a generous donation from Webster Gardens Community Church, Coast Music Therapy adds turntables to their clinic and starts offering DJ lessons for students.