I hope the start of the academic year has been rewarding for you and your students. I am writing to give you a national update on ASME’s work to support you and advance Australian music education.
Music Teacher Professional Associations National Roundtable
As part of our mission to provide representation and leadership for all Australian music educators, ASME will facilitate an online national roundtable for our music teacher professional associations. We believe we are stronger together, and such gatherings can benefit all our associations and members. This meeting aims to identify the most critical areas in Australian music education that we can realistically tackle together and make a real difference. Our ambition is strategic and pragmatic, and we are mindful that our associations are volunteer-led and non-profit. We acknowledge previous efforts in this space and believe now is the right moment to continue this vital work.
Music Education: Right from the Start
Congratulations to the Alberts Tony Foundation on launching their new website for the national advocacy project, Music Education: Right from the Start (https://www.musiceducation.com.au/). ASME is a fervent supporter of this collaborative initiative and is represented on the Advisory Group by Dr Rachael Dwyer and myself. There are promising signs of momentum building in support of quality primary music education, particularly in NSW and Victoria. Now is the time to raise quality, sequential, and ongoing primary music education with your school leaders and local MPs. Systematic change takes time and requires perseverance, and of course, there is still much work to be done. I encourage you to view the news release celebrating a project launch milestone and video highlights featuring Peter Garett AM and Dr Anita Collins.
Music in Me
ASME is also proud to support The National Music Teacher Mentoring Program, now known as Music in Me (https://musicinme.au/). Established by the late Richard Gill AO in 2015, the program aims to build teacher skills and confidence in delivering primary music education. The mentee (a generalist classroom or new music specialist teacher) and the mentor (a specialist music teacher) work together in close mentorship. You can get involved in different ways, depending on where you live and work. The program partners with the state Departments of Education in NSW and Victoria. In WA, Music in Me partners with ASME WA, and schools and preschools in SA should approach their local coordinator directly. You can contact Music in Me anytime (mentoring@ayo.com.au), who can connect you with your local coordinator.
Dr Andrew Ford OAM Honorary Life Membership
The ASME National Council recently met and unanimously supported the Honorary Life Member nomination of Dr Andrew Ford OAM by Professor David Forrest and Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret. Andrew has long advocated for music’s place in schools and the broader educational field. He has been an ASME Patron since the early 2000s and has participated in numerous ASME national conferences and was a Composer-in-Residence in 1999 and 2003. You can read more about Andrew’s work on his website. On behalf of ASME, thank you and congratulations, Andy!
I wish all members a restful and rejuvenating upcoming break.
With best wishes
Dr Jason Goopy
President
Australian Society for Music Education
president@asme.edu.au
