Proceeds from this year’s Music Therapy Ride will ensure that another Bandwagon can soon hit the road.

The motorcycle ride from Vancouver to Whistler on September 13 raised more than $85,000, the highest amount in the event’s 13-year history.

Organizer Patrick Zulinov said a third mobile studio designed for music therapists should be up and running in the coming months.

“We’ve had a great demand from the music therapists to have another one in use, so this allows us to do it,” he told the Straight by phone.

Zulinov hopes to see the third Bandwagon travel to facilities around the Lower Mainland and B.C.

To date, the Music Therapy Ride has raised close to $800,000 for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. The first Bandwagon is permanently located at the BC Children's Hospital, and the second travels to institutions around the Lower Mainland for six-week residencies.

“There’s just so many music therapists out there that have shown interest that have to wait their turn for a residency, so hopefully we can get more of them going and fulfill the need,” Zulinov said.

“The more Bandwagons we have going, the more we have to raise to keep them all in use with the music therapists, so seeing a larger number of people donate and contribute this year is very positive for us to look forward to another Bandwagon beyond this one, and hopefully we can keep them all operating and making people feel better in a variety of different facilities—cancer wards, children’s hospitals, AIDS hospices, bereavement homes. There’s a wide array of places that can use music therapists.”