Following a written submission from the ACMF to the Joint Select Committee on Arts and Music Education and Training in NSW, we were invited to give evidence as witnesses at a hearing.
The hearing was held on Tuesday 30 July at the NSW Parliament. Frances Georgeson, General Manager, and Rory Alcock, National Partnerships Manager, represented the ACMF and spoke to the committee about the problem of inequity of access to a quality music education in public primary schools due to:
- Emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) over STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
- Resourcing challenges for primary schools, and the
- Skills and confidence gap of generalist teachers in teaching music
They also spoke about the benefits of a quality music education as well as potential solutions such as:
- Establishing a clear definition for schools of what a quality music education is, including that it needs to be ongoing and sequential ie, weekly for years K to 6
- Providing better support for schools through improved training and professional development for generalist teachers, and, building allied support and partnerships with organisations such as the ACMF
