Organizations/Performing Group:

Australian Music Therapy Association, member, 2022 - present
Better with Music Philippines, founder, 2023 - present


Althea Danielle P. Tolentino is a registered music therapist and an active member of the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA).

She graduated with a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne and worked with a variety of populations including children and adolescents with autism, older adults with dementia, children and adults with multiple disabilities, and hospice care. She received her Bachelor's degree in Music Education at the University of the Philippines College of Music. For over a decade she’s had extensive experience working as a preschool teacher and early childhood music educator.

Thea is a contributor to the anthology on progressive education. School is Life: Progressive Education in the Philippines is a volume that gathers essays on teaching methods, concepts, and experiences of educators in the progressive learning movement. This is the first book on progressive education in the Philippines and was released by the Ateneo de Manila University Press in 2020.

She is also a classical guitarist and composer who has composed music of over 100 songs for The Raya School’s annual school musicales, educational children’s songs in collaboration with Adarna House, program music for DZUP’s EskweKalikasan radio show and podcast and various media projects.

She founded Better with Music, a movement focused on promoting mental, emotional, and social well-being through music. Through this initiative, she has organized practical workshops, informative talks, and seminars in various settings, including hospitals and community centers, to make music therapy more accessible to Filipinos. Currently, she serves as the senior lecturer at the Music Ed Department, teaching an introductory elective course on the art and science of music therapy.

She believes that musicking is a powerful tool for discovering purpose and making meaningful connections both with the self and with others. She is passionate about supporting creativity, self-empowerment, and self-expression through music.