Music Benefits

Learning music at school makes a unique contribution to children's development. It also helps students enjoy going to school each day!

For decades, countless studies have found links between learning music and a broad range of positive impacts on children and adolescents.

Music improves students' team skills and self-esteem and helps their progress in other important learning areas such as Maths and English. Music learning is good for all students and it is particularly beneficial for students who are not achieving well in school.

Why is music education in schools important?

Because, aside from the sheer pleasure of making music together, there are established links between music learning and improved academic and social outcomes in children. Yet most Aussie kids are missing out on the many benefits of music education in school. As few as 23% of State schools are able to provide their students an effective education. In the private system, it's closer to 88%! Music in schools fails the fairness test! Lobby for change! Use the resources, research and lobby kit to affect change. If you need more help, contact campaign HQ and we'll assist you.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Music education in Australian schools. What do we know?

Seares Report

The Seares Report: "Augmenting the Diminished" (DEST, 2005) outlines the current state of music education in Australia. It makes many recommendations about stemming the decline in the status and provision of music education in Australia's schools. Released in November 2005, the report follows a federally-funded national review into school music education during which submissions were sought from the public. There were almost 6000 received, at least 4300 of which were from Music. Play for Life supporters. This was an unprecedented public response to a national enquiry and demonstrates the passionate support in the Australian community for ALL Australian school children having the opportunity to learn music at school.

National Music Workshop

As part of the Federal government's initial response to the Seares Report, a National Music Workshop was convened in Melbourne, in August 2006. It brought together key people and organisations involved in music education to come up with an action plan for implementing the report's recommendations. Funding for Music. Count Us In is one of the federal government's early responses to the Workshop recommendations and is aimed at helping to raise the status of music in schools. Like the Seares Report, the National Music Workshop Report recommended that steps be taken to elevate the status of music in schools, as a priority.

School Lobby Kit

Need help to convince your school that music education is important? Download the advocacy kit. The intention of the kit is to provide arguments and methods for school parents and school music teachers to establish music programs in schools where there are none, and gain greater support for music programs in schools where they already exist.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS

The kit is in PDF format (Portable Document Format) and contains links within the document to access different areas of interest. Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is required to view this kit.

DOWNLOAD THE MUSIC EDUCATION ADVOCACY KIT

Download the free reader software