Quality music education for all – Richard Gill OAM

Twilight Seminar  Date:      Thursday 6 August 2015 Time:      5:00pm – 6:00pm

Issue #005 | August 2015

Principals are encouraged to attend with their music teacher if possible.  Principals without a music program are strongly encouraged to attend.

About the session

All Australian primary school students need access to high quality music education. To achieve this goal we must better equip our generalist classroom teachers in the teaching of music.

There is now abundant evidence to show the positive impact that high quality music education has on student learning and performance.

The National Music Teacher Mentorship Program, aimed at improving the quality of music teaching in Australian primary classrooms, pairs experienced music educators with generalist classroom teachers in a mentoring environment.

The Commonwealth Government has provided funding for the Program to be piloted in a number of state and territories until mid-2017. The Program is currently being implemented in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia with the support of their respective departments of education with more states and territories coming on board in 2016.

The Program supports mentors by providing a two-day Master Class, attendance at which is a pre-requisite for becoming a mentor in the Program. During the Master Class mentors gain a good understanding of the fundamentals of mentoring and share simple strategies, practices and resources for engaging students in quality music education.

The effectiveness of the Program is being evaluated by the University of Queensland under the leadership of Professor Margaret Barrett.

Further details

Cost: Free

Registration:

Attending the seminar at Bastow register at:

http://qualitymusicforall.eventbrite.com

To participate via videoconference, Polycom:
please email: music.education@edumail.vic.gov.au

Venue:

Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership
603-615 Queensberry St, North Melbourne

Information on how to get to Bastow:

http://www.bastow.vic.edu.au/about-us/contact-us

There is no all-day street parking available near Bastow.

Upcoming Seminars

Wednesday 19 August

‘Professional learning opportunities and Musical Futures’ – Presented by Musical Futures Australia

Victorian State Education Funding Review

Members of sMAG have been extremely busy in preparation for the Sounds Great conference.  We congratulate Kevin and the AMUSE committee on a wonderfully successful conference.  It was inspiring to say the least!  

We also thank the members of our community that came along to the sMAG open committee meeting.  It was very pleasing to see the Plaza Room full, and many questions and discussions coming forward.

We now turn our attention to the Victorian State Education Funding Review - headed up by Steve Bracks.

 It is rather easy in terms of the lack of formality in the online presentation - 

Victorian government review into State School Education funding: http://educationstate.education.vic.gov.au/school-funding-review?tool=survey_tool&tool_id=make-a-submission20#tool_tab  sMAG  will make a formal submission, and we encourage all in the community to consider either taking the survey or making a more formal submission around the T of R.  Within all submission processes, there is weight in numbers - so if you have the time, please make a submission.

This Review publication has been circulated online and around school groups at large over a period of around 6 weeks now.

It is feasible to consider submissions around the fact that only 2% of funding allocations go towards music, LOTE etc. Perhaps arguments can be mounted around the percentage of funding can and should be raised if a reform agenda towards specialisation in face to face teaching is going to be achieved.  The TEMAG report at recommendation 18 and the international data on improvements in learning outcomes with an creased time allocations towards specialisation delivery.  The consultation paper available on the Vic review website, carries a consultation paper.  There are clear indications within this document that a move towards funding specialisation teachers is within the parameters of the Vic government thinking.

If we are going to achieve 100% of State School children, it is going to need funding somehow.

You may believe you are in a place to submit.

Please read the online documents here http://educationstate.education.vic.gov.au/ - they are a very easy read - and see if you are in a place to either fill in the survey or make a submission by July 31.

Thanks in advance!