History

ASME was formed in 1967, following on from the impetus of the UNESCO Seminar on School Music held in Sydney in 1965 when an initial committee, comprising 3 representatives from each state and 1 from the ACT, was identified.

This committee became the first ASME National Council which adopted an interim constitution for ASME in 1966, enabling ASME to enrol members, to become a member body of ISME and to develop the Australian Journal of Music Education [AJME]. By the end of 1967, these was an officially recognised ASME chapter in each of the Australian states and the ACT. The first issue of the Australian Journal of Music Education was released in 1967, and the first National Conference of ASME was held in Brisbane in 1969.

Since ASME began, it has continued to be an organisation that seeks to encourage and advance music education throughout Australia at all levels as an integral part of general education and community life and as a profession in the broad field of music. ASME has undertaken this advocacy for music education through national publications and biennial national conferences, and state-based conferences and workshops. ASME is a not-for-profit organisation and since 2022, is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission [ACNC].

National Executive Archive