Melanie Barrier

Music Therapy

Melanie Barrier’s deep compassion for foster children led her to found Music that Reclaims (MTR), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings music and music therapy to foster children to help them recover from past trauma. Melanie was herself a foster child who found healing from physical and emotional trauma in music. That personal experience plus her years of advocacy led her to recognize how helpful music can be in the lives of these children.

Under her leadership, MTR has built a knowledgeable and active board of professionals and interested individuals who are engaged in long-term planning to set objectives, measure performance, manage finances, grow relationships, and expand services. These services include Music Therapy, Music Education, and Music Experiences.

Over the past 10 years, Melanie has had a positive impact on the services for foster children in the St. Louis community. Those groups providing services to foster children, such as FACC and Cornerstones of Care, have been improved through the addition of music therapy as a tool to help children. The community of foster children and their foster families has benefited from these programs, which in turn has helped children to recover, to deal with the stress of living without their primary family, and has helped them bond with their foster families.