Meet ACMF Teacher Simone Lang
Simone Lang is a fabulous drummer who works for us in two Melbourne schools, teaching children from kindergarten to year twelve. Kids love her lessons, and the teachers at the schools love her lessons too!
Here’s what she says about teaching for us….. Thanks so much Simone! We love what you do!
What do you most like about your teaching for the ACMF?
Mainly it is about working in schools where the students don’t have access to lots of resources and are therefore mostly grateful for what they do have. This makes my job easier because the students are generally (not all students by any means!) engaged to begin with. As a teacher, this is a gift. I have had the opposite experience in private schools for example, where the school is so over-resourced that the general vibe I get from students is that drumming (music) is just another thing or activity that they have to attend and tolerate.
In one particular ACMF funded school that I work in, the school itself is so run down and dilapidated. The students generally come from very low-socio economic families, and I think there is a sense that someone in the outside world cares about their welfare. Their school may have been forgotten by the government, but I think having ACMF invest in the student’s education gives them a sense that someone out there hasn’t. This may sound a little contrived but when ACMF organised a concert for Melbourne schools to perform for each other the excitement amongst students from this school was intoxicating. Many of these teenagers had never been to the CBD.
I also like the organisation itself. It feels like I am actually working for people, and Don, rather than for an organisation or investors. It has a family business feel to it which I like.
What has surprised you the most in your ACMF teaching?
Before I worked for the ACMF I would run programs that lasted anywhere from a day to 6 months.
Because of ACMF’s commitment to the longevity of existing programs I have had the opportunity to work in schools for many years which means I feel part of community in those schools.
What is your bands website or Facebook page?
https://www.facebook.com/drummergirlafricandrumming/
Please check out Simone’s Facebook page to have a look at some of the incredible work she is doing!
Thanks so much Simone.
