This year, the Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF) expanded its music education footprint to welcome Matraville Public School. Matraville is a beautifully vibrant, culturally diverse school community, but for many of its students navigating school can initially feel overwhelming.
To find out how the program is settling in, we sat down with ACMF Teaching Musician Rachel. She shared her lens of the classroom transformation taking place each week.
What she revealed is a powerful reminder that music isn’t just an academic subject; it is a universal language that builds bridges where words sometimes fail.
Rushing to Class: The Shift from Wide-Eyed to Confident
Stepping into a new school at the start of the year can bring a quiet, cautious energy. Rachel recalls that during her first few weeks at Matraville, many students arrived at music class wide-eyed, carefully doing exactly what was asked but holding back.
Today, the atmosphere is unrecognisable.
“Now there are children rushing to music, yelling ‘Hello Rachel!’ across the playground,” Rachel shares. “They are achieving in ways that are surprising themselves – and their teachers. They are so willing to try things. To sing. To drum hard patterns. To make mistakes, and laugh. I love watching these kids blossom.”
For students who are shy or still mastering the English language, these weekly music lessons have unlocked a safe space for genuine human connection. Rachel notes that every single week, she watches children thrive and grow in confidence. “Children whose English mightn’t be so good, or who are shy, and then they are laughing, and smiling, and making eye contact, and talking to me.”
Celebrating the Rhythms of Home
Matraville is a happy, fast-learning school, and Rachel has found that the quickest way to help children absorb new skills is through laughter and personal connection. By creating a relaxed environment, she has been able to invite the children to bring their own rich cultural backgrounds into the classroom.
“I love hearing about their families,” Rachel says. “The story about Dad’s drum, and why he plays it differently – I worked out it was a darbuka – to the djembe. About uncles playing ukuleles, and the family singing. Connecting with girls coming in with hennaed hands. Because once you’ve made a personal connection with a child, they’ll work for you.”
Why Music is a ‘Must-Have,’ Not a ‘Nice-to-Have’
When asked what supporters should know about why regular music education is absolutely essential for these students, Rachel paints a vivid, moving picture of the challenges faced by newly arrived families:
“Imagine you have just arrived in this country. Everything is different. You’ve left your extended family. You aren’t good at the language. Things are HARD. And then this person shows up at school… and you don’t have to read anything in a new language – it’s just dots. And because music is in every culture, this connects us all. It connects all of humanity. You play, or sing, or kazoo with everyone else in the room. And you laugh, and feel connected.”
Rachel’s experience on the ground directly echoes the ACMF’s broader national advocacy message. Children in well-resourced private schools enjoy access to music every single wee., The ACMF believes that equity means ensuring every Australian child receives the same opportunity.
“It’s soul food,” Rachel says. “It makes us feel good about ourselves. It makes us feel whole again. The kids that the ACMF see – that I see – need to feel this. They deserve to feel this. Not occasionally. But every week. It heals. It feeds. It calms. I see it every time I teach.”
