ABC Keys to Music – listen to a 4-part series of audio podcasts from May 2009. Richard Gill and Graham Abbott discuss the importance of quality school Music Education for all Australian children.
(Scroll down the webpage to the heading “Music Education Series”)
ACARA launches Australian Curriculum Wiki to facilitate consultation on the new Australian curriculum.
search.informit.com.au/browsePublication;isbn=0959630481;res=IELHSS
Available for purchase is this 1999 research paper by ASME.
Go to resource: Assessment in Music Education, written by Martin Fautley, is published by Oxford UP, 2010. Read more…
Go to resource: The Australian journal of music education is a research periodical published by the Australian Society for Music Education. Read more…
This report presents results from a study of Australian households which was commissioned by the Australian Music Association. The results are based on 1,000 interviews with households randomly selected across all of Australia.
Here are some of the findings:
A UK education program which trains primary school students to lead singing games in the playground – with cross-curricular results!
http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/case_studies/Ex_Cathedra_singing_playgrounds.html
2011 Flame Awards have announced 23 finalist schools. This year’s finalists use technology and social networking to engage students, teach ukulele during class music lessons, promote song-writing to reinforce literacy, employ music therapists to work with special needs students, and timetable music lessons for every day of the school year.
Here are the 23 Finalists for 2011 Flame Awards – rewarding engaging and creative school music departments:
St Christopher’s Primary School NSW - a primary school embracing technology in so many ways, from composition to creating their own video hits segments
Guardian Angels Primary School QLD – recording studio used to compose music for weekly school news, parents co-learn at their child’s music lesson, 10 generalist staff involved in school instrumental ensembles
Henbury School NT – amazing special needs and music therapy program which uses research to inform its practice
Harrison School ACT – research-based music program = Music for Happiness … happy students perform better in all areas, studying quality music to inspire high achievement, teachers teach other teachers to lead music groups, lunchtime music clubs, Glee Club
Ernabella Anangu School NT – new indigenous school music program based on communication; features song-writing, music from many cultures, use of computers & student-initiated content; 100% involvement in choir with lots of time allocation as well
Girraween Primary School NT – early years music features innovative visual aids & games, across the Primary years music features in other subject areas, music hut for play-time, music games and technology used to teach notation and theory
Merri Creek Primary School VIC – composition from Year 1 with a biennial CD burned of student compositions, creativity and composition leads to performances of their own works & discussion of each other’s compositions
St Andrew’s Catholic College QLD – webpage for music activities, emails to parents re. music news, connections with indigenous owners of the school land, parents fundraise to bring renowned guests/composers/performers to the school, lots of music IT – which is available to students at lunchtime, strong community connections
MLC Burwood NSW – all girls are involved in annual Opera House concerts, guest composers and performance workshops, outreach to other schools, use of technology to enhance learning
Killara Primary School VIC – jam sessions with parents, composition from Year 1, student-run music events at lunchtime, cross-arts activities, Ultranet for sharing musical opinions
Footscray City Primary School VIC – Steiner / mainstream school with music as a fundamental element, massive variety of ensembles, innovation and engagement are core school-wide values
North Lake Senior Campus WA – 3 campuses use the internet to create a virtual music classroom, Moodle allows online tutorials at home and uploading videos of student performances, also collaborative online performances, video tutorials allow refugees and ESL to re-play lessons slowly as needed
Cowper Public School NSW – tiny school with amazing engagement, cows and chickens are an innovative feature of music performance and composition, ‘Opera with the Cows’ brings 1000 audience to the town and students sing with professional opera singers, award-winning choir
Boggabilla Central NSW – a low socio-economic school re-writing musical resources to bypass low literacy and confidence levels … inspiring achievements in 12 months, use 2-note power chords on guitar and compose music specifically to match student skills, wrote a new school song based on schools’ social values program
Boneo Primary School VIC – Glee Club, boomwhackers, djembes, ukuleles, instrumental lessons @$10, Music Matters PLN (Professional Learning Network) to unite isolated teachers, sharing music lessons online with other countries – the world is our classroom
The Patch Primary School VIC – music is integral to school & community, music features in many cross-arts activities, musical activity feeds off cultural community, Orff and Musical Futures methodologies, class sets of marimbe/ukulel/recorder/djembe, Music spreads to other KLA, creative music grant – composition results are shown on website, song-writing
Ferny Grove State High School QLD – composition, community involvement, YouTube presence, 24 ensembles, aim to create a sense of belonging which promotes student creativity and experimentation
Croxton School VIC – special needs school employs a music therapist, creativity within a structured environment, song-writing project, DRUMBEATS, emphasis on learning social skills & self-esteem through music, use visual cues and repetition to maintain student focus
Smith’s Hill High School NSW – boys only guitar + vocal group, offers single semester elective subjects which are cross age (year 8-10), 3 day music camp, overnight busking ensemble trip to Sydney, variety of large ensembles
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School QLD – Year K, 1, 2, 3, 8 have 20 mins of music EVERY day (Kodaly-based), community choir, staff outreach to refugee school
Spring Gully Primary School VIC – assisted by 20 years of composer-in-residence – original song-writing is integral to learning and sharing at this school … ‘Big Book’ style songbooks are created, to share with other classes
Parkhurst State Primary QLD – technology used to engage middle years (digital composition & podcasts), integrates music with other subject areas, students create multimedia projects which are music-rich, invite other schools to use their facilities
Resurrection Primary School VIC – a Song Room school, great work by Song Room staff, including training up non-specalist staff; school radio station; plans to take on ukulele ensemble across school
Go to resource: The IJME is a peer-reviewed academic journal about music education practice and research, published by ISME (International Society for Music Education). Read more…
an MCA publication -
Journal of Music Research Online www.jmro.org.au: this refereed journal includes music education research
Go to resource: The Journal of Music Teacher Education is a periodical published by the National Association for Music Education (MENC USA) and the Society for Music Teacher Education (USA). Read more…
Free podcasts and online presentations re. connecting with students while teaching Music.
Philosophy and pedagogy discussed.
Have you signed up yet to be part of Making Music Being Well?
This national initiative, which takes place from 16 – 22 May, is a collaboration between Music: Play for Life and the Australian Music Therapy Association and it’s all about a grassroots celebration of the links between music making and wellbeing.
When you register to participate – it’s FREE – we’ll send you event posters, stickers and brochures and you’ll get access to lots of downloadable resources including event planning and promotional tips. How you participate is up to you.
The best way to be involved is to take something you may already have planned for that week and hitch it to the national wagon of Making Music Being Well 2011. You don’t have to do something on every day during the week – one event is enough. Your event will be outlined on the MMBW website and you and your group members or students will be helping to shine the national spotlight on an important fact: music is good for you!
Here are a few ideas based on previous years: Open the doors to the community for your rehearsal that falls within the MMBW week and turn it into a free performance. Take your choir or group to a nursing home, hospital or school. Organise a big sing at your workplace. Turn a school assembly into a musical celebration and tell students and parents about the value and benefits of making music. Convene a drum circle in your school playground. Run an open mic session at your local pub or club. Organise a gathering of community music leaders and organisers in your area and discuss how you could pool resources and share skills.
Register to be part of it at www.makingmusicbeingwell.org.au
AND … don’t forget – registration for our biggest school music initiative, Music: Count Us In, opens soon too!
Go to resource: More on Music Instruction of Classroom Teachers: Early Childhood, by Rachel Hocking, was published in the Music Forum Vol. 14, No. 3. Sydney: Music Council of Australia. Read more…
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46397.asp
an article illustrating the great work done by music therapists with school-age students
Go to resource: Music Education Articles – Music Forum, by the Music Council of Australia, is a list of sample articles on music education that have been published over the years.
The Centre for Music, Mind and Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne, in association with the Melbourne Recital Centre take great pleasure in inviting you to the launch of the Music on the Mind series at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Professor Gary McPherson, Ormond Professor and Director of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, studies giftedness: the characteristics and development of people who have an unusually high potential for greatness. Tiffany Poon, a 14-year-old piano prodigy, clearly possesses that qualification. A student at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, Tiffany already participates in an active recital schedule, displaying extraordinary artistry, musical maturity, and a rich love for playing the piano. Professor McPherson, working with Tiffany’s family, has observed Tiffany’s growth as a musician over her lifetime. In his pre-concert introduction Professor McPherson will talk about giftedness and traits of child prodigies, including current research in this field, before Tiffany steps to the piano to share her talent in a piano recital that includes repertoire by Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Liszt that will leave the audience spellbound (see www.tiffanypoon.com).
When: Tuesday 19 July 2011, 7.30pm
Venue: Elisabeth Murdoch Hall
Melbourne Recital Centre
Cnr of Soutbank Blvd and Sturt St
Southbank
Tickets: $25 / $15 concession www.melbournerecital.com.au or call 03 9699 3333
http://www.musiccountusin.org.au/
This year’s program song is about to hit the air-waves. Registration is being accepted by schools for the 2011 massed singing event on September 1st, 2011 @ 11.30am (AEST).
Associated free lesson plans, teaching kits, free MP3, sheet music, and instrumental arrangements will soon be available via the website.
Signing up via the website is free and easy!! http://www.musiccountusin.org.au/
Go to resource: Overview of Early Childhood Music Education Research by Dr Peter De Vries and Dr Greg Hurworth gives an outline of available research and directions for future advocacy. Read more…
http://sharedconcernsstage2.com/
Welcome to the web portal for my PhD project. This project seeks to investigate the ways in which instrumental teachers can improve their teaching practice through collaboration with other instrumental teachers by means of a web based forum. It expects that the forum will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences and become a medium for group problem solving thereby allowing teachers to learn from each others’ experiences and improve their own teaching practice.
Go to resource: Primary Arts Education: a brief Australian history, by Deirdre Russell-Bowie, was published in the Music Forum Vol 15 No 3, 2009.
Go to resource: Research and Issues in Music Education (RIME) is an international periodical published online through the University of St Thomas (USA). Read more…
Go to resource: Research studies in music education, published by the University of Queensland, is a periodical on music education research. Read more…
Sistema Australia – A school music education system based on a Venezuelan model. Currently being trialled in Laverton (VIC), the model involves instrumental learning and high-quality performances at school.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J563P57
Your valuable contribution in this survey will provide important information and the provision of multicultural music education in Victorian schools. We hope to use this research to advise schools and authorities about what schools and teachers need and want. We ask you to kindly spend a few minutes of your valuable time to participate in this investigation regarding Artists-in-residence and multicultural Victorian school music. A research study, The evaluation of authentic practice in Victorian school music programs that include visiting multicultural artists, (Monash University
Ethical approval number: CF10/1125 – 2010000595) is being conducted by
Doctoral student Rohan Nethsinghe and his supervisor Dr Jane Southcott. The
interesting online questionnaire approximately 10 – 15 minutes. All
responses are very welcome and are anonymous. It is accessed by direct link
at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J563P57
Thank you for your time and attention.
Dr Jane Southcott and Rohan Nethsinghe
Faculty of Education
Monash University, Clayton
Go to resource: The Australian School System is an article on the Music in Australia Knowledge Base site that summarises the history and structure of music education in Australian schools, and is written by Dr Richard Letts. Read more…
Go to resource: The Bibliography of Australian Music Education Research (BAMER) was established by ASME and Associate Professor Robin Stevens. Read more…
National Library of Australia has a new online catalog called TROVE – research for books, journal, video, audio, websites, pictures and more. You can even click through the website to purchase many of the items, if you wish.
This year’s VMTA Clifford Lecture is to be held at the State Library Theatrette on Sunday August 7, 2.00pm.
It will be presented by Prof Gary McPherson, Ormond Professor and Director,
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
The topic is:
“Evidence based approaches to teaching music to children and adolescents”
Every year, thousands of Australian children begin learning a musical
instrument and embark on an aspect of skill acquisition that is not only
complex and time-consuming, but which also requires years of dedicated
practice and commitment in order to achieve success. A major challenge for
research, therefore, is to find better and more efficient ways for
developing the range of skills required to perform proficiently.
With the above as his context, Professor McPherson will describe recent
research that provides new insight into the nature of musical ability,
development and identity. His presentation will be framed to show how
development is uniquely individual and how various forces act to either
enhance or hinder each learner¹s musical potential. Practical examples will
be included and discussed that teachers may like to consider in their
everyday teaching practice and that have been shown to enhance student
learning and motivation to continue learning and participating well into
adult life.
Tickets: $20 VMTA members/ $25 non-members/ $12 full-time students
To book, simply call 03 9415 1314 or email the office vmta@vmta.org.au.
Booking forms are also downloadable from our website
www.victorianmusicteachersassociation.org.au.
This interesting online lecture is aimed at Tertiary (Music) educators, spoken by US educator Robert Duke.
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