Nicole Richard Williams

Biography

Nicole Richard Williams, PhD, MT-BC, MTA is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Belmont University and has taught at Belmont since 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Music Therapy from the Canadian Mennonite University (2014), MA in Music and Health Sciences from the University of Toronto (2018) and PhD in Music and Health Sciences with a Collaborative Specialization in Neuroscience also from the University of Toronto (2024). Nicole has worked alternately full- and part-time in private practice for the past 10+ years, both independently and formerly for Bang a Beat Family-Centred Therapies in Winnipeg, MB. She has a depth of experience working with children on the autism spectrum and their families, as well as in mental health, neurorehabilitation, and geriatrics. Nicole practices within the Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)® framework and is an NMT-Fellow. Nicole’s past research has investigated the benefits and challenges of telehealth music therapy, and on the impact of music for movement skills in autistic individuals. Nicole has received many awards and scholarships, including a President’s Medal (Canadian Mennonite University, 2013), University of Toronto Research Fellowship (2017-2022), and Ontario Graduate Scholarships (Government of Ontario, 2019; 2020).

Nicole is accredited with both the Canadian Association of Music Therapists and the American Music Therapy Association and is a member of the World Federation of Neurorehabilitation. She has presented at conferences in Canada, the United States, and Europe., and her research has been published in several journals including the Journal of Music Therapy, Frontiers in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience, NeuroRehabilitation, and more.

When she is not teaching, Nicole likes to spend time hiking with her wonderful husband Nathan, enjoying Nashville with friends, and keeping in touch with her family.