"Music may offer the only bridge from inner world to outer reality. It may provide the only means to give expression, in a safe way, to inner feelings. . . . It is important that the music therapist’s sphere of interest be the inner life of the patient—that the main concern be with the use of music as a vehicle by which this inner reality can be brought to the surface, to be heard, experienced, and examined in the presence of another." .

-Florence Tyson

The Florence Tyson Fund for Creative Arts Therapies was established in 2004, to continue the work of Florence Tyson, a world-renowned music therapist and a pioneer in the field of community-based creative arts therapy.

The Mission of the Fund is:

• to support therapists and clinical programs that provide creative arts therapies—music, dance, drama, art and poetry therapy--to people in the community who suffer from, or are at risk for psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, or severe mental illnesses.

• to inform health care professionals, social workers, teachers, and others about the benefits of community-based creative arts therapies for their clients; and to promote the utilization of these therapies in community settings

• to encourage and support research on the clinical efficacy of creative arts therapies in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and related psychiatric problems, in community settings.