AWARDS & PRIZES

2009 National Awards for Excellence in School Music Education:

Nominations close 17 April 2009

Up to thirteen awards for excellence and leadership in school music education with a value of $5,000 will be awarded to teachers and school leaders. The awards will recognise exceptional contribution to enhancing the status and quality of music education in their schools.

The 2009 National Awards for Excellence in School Music Education Project is funded by the Australian Government under the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme.

The awards are in response to Recommendation 1 from the 2005 Report on the National Review of School Music Education: To enhance the status of school music education. They are administered by the Australian Society for Music Education .

The Awards Project aims to:

• Raise the status of music education in Australian schools;
• Recognise individual teachers and school leaders who have made an outstanding contribution to the provision of music education in Australian schools; and 
• Provide opportunities for award recipients to further their professional learning related to music education.

Up to eleven teachers will receive an Excellence by a Teacher award.

Up to two school leaders will receive an Excellence by a School Leader award for their explicit support for music education.

Each recipient will receive a certificate and a cheque for $5,000, which is intended to be used to further their professional learning related to music education. This may include activities such as attendance at conferences, study tours, or a chosen project in the recipient's school or wider community.

One recipient from each category will receive a 'Highly Commended' award and be invited to attend a presentation event at the ASME XVII National Conference in Launceston, Tasmania in July 2009.

The closing date is April 17, 2009, and all details about the Awards, including Guidelines, and nomination forms are available on the website at http://musicawards.asme.edu.au/

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Applications open for Queensland music awards

Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts The Honourable Rod Welford, February 18, 2009

The memory of two Queensland music greats lives on with applications now open for the annual Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship and Billy Thorpe Scholarship .

Arts Minister Rod Welford encouraged Queensland musicians to apply for the two prestigious awards.

"A songwriter or songwriting team will spend time in one of the world's cultural hotspots thanks to the Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship," Mr Welford said.

"The $20,000 fellowship, established in 2007 in memory of the late singer-songwriter Grant McLennan, gives the winner an opportunity to live in London, New York or Berlin for up to two months to further develop their craft.

"These three cities were artistically important to Grant McLennan and had a lasting impact on his songwriting and career.

"Last year's winners, songwriting duo Chris Dale and John Busby of Brisbane band Halfway, have just returned from London where they drew inspiration from the culture of this vibrant city."

Read more at http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=62818

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34th National Youth Concerto Competition

This year Queensland Youth Orchestras will celebrate the 34th National Youth Concerto Competition . The competition was established in 1976 by John Curro AM MBE to provide young string players aged up to 17 years with an opportunity to extend themselves beyond the normal AMEB and eisteddfod experiences.
 
The competition has launched the careers of some Australia's most successful string players including the Australian Chamber Orchestra's Richard Tognetti, the Freshwater Trio's Zoe Black and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra's Nicholas Milton.
 
Excitement and brilliance have been the hallmarks of the NYCC since its inception in 1976 and each year promises to be no different. Judges will be selecting outstanding finalists and recitalists to perform public recitals throughout Finals Week.

The winner will gain a $2500 prize and will join the ranks of some of Australia's greatest musicians.

Applications are now open for the 2009 competition. Entrants must be aged 17 years or under on the date of the Finals Concert (25 October 2009).

Read more at http://www.qyo.org.au/competitions.php

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Flame Awards 2009

The Flame Awards did not run in 2008 as ABC Classic FM instead stages another national schools competition "Grab the Goanna" as part of the Sydney International Piano Competition when it is held every four years.

The Flame Awards will resume in 2009 and ABC Classic FM and "Music. Play for Life" look forward to continuing their search to locate, celebrate and publicise Australia's outstanding school music programs.  Keep checking the ABC Classic FM website and be prepared for an even bigger and bolder competition this year!

The Flame Awards are open to public and non-government schools and seek to showcase the excellent and innovative music programs being run in Australian schools and their communities.

Further information coming soon at: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/flame/

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"Grab the Goanna" - the worthy winners

2008: Albury North Public School

The team at ABC Classic FM congratulates Albury North Public School (a primary in Southern NSW), winners of the brand new grand piano!

Hundreds of entries were received from around Australia and thanks to everyone who entered and the effort they went to.

To celebrate the arrival of the new piano, ABC Classic FM did a special live broadcast from the school on Thursday 18 September, 2008.

Read more at http://www.abc.net.au/classic/goanna/

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RESEARCH

"Learning, Arts and the Brain: Arts & Cognition"

Charles A Dana Foundation, 2008

In 2004, the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium brought together cognitive neuroscientists from seven universities across the United States to grapple with the question of why arts training has been associated with higher academic performance.

Is it simply that smart people are drawn to "do" art &mdash; to study and perform music, dance, drama &mdash; or does early arts training cause changes in the brain that enhance other important aspects of cognition?

The consortium can now report findings that allow for a deeper understanding of how to define and evaluate the possible causal relationships between arts training and the ability of the brain to learn in other cognitive domains.

The research includes new data about the effects of arts training that should stimulate future investigation.

The preliminary conclusions we have reached may soon lead to trustworthy assumptions about the impact of arts study on the brain; this should be helpful to parents, students, educators, neuroscientists, and policymakers in making personal, institutional, and policy decisions.

Specifics of each participating scientist's research program are detailed in the appended reports that can be downloaded from http://www.dana.org.

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"Making More of Music: An evaluation of music in UK schools 2005-2008"

Ofsted, UK Government, February 2009

Although provision for music was good or outstanding in around half the schools visited, the quality and range of provision were inconsistent and too much of the provision was inadequate, particularly in the secondary schools.

The schools where the provision was outstanding showed how music education could contribute very successfully to pupils' personal as well as musical development.

In these schools, every pupil benefited from music. There was a clear sense of why music was important and the schools made considerable efforts to ensure all were involved.

As a result, the whole school benefited from the way in which music could both engage and re-engage pupils, increasing their self-esteem and maximising their progress across all their learning and not just in music.

However, not all the schools were realising the potential of music. Schools did little active selection of pupils who would benefit most, personally and musically.

Simply offering opportunities to all did not necessarily ensure that provision included all pupils sufficiently.

Read more at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Making-more-of-music-an-evaluation-of-music-in-schools-2005-08

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OPINION

Why would you want to keep a music program going in tough times?

Robert Jesselton, February 10, 2009

Why should the schools even bother with music?

According to Bruce Boston in Business Week, "In every civilization, the arts have always been inseparable from the very meaning of the term 'education,' and today no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks the basic knowledge and skills in the fourth 'r,' the arts discipline. In truth, it is the arts that provide a cultural and historical context for our lives."

Research during the past few years has revealed that the study of music can actually influence a child's overall learning potential and his or her educational development. Much research has been done in this area, and these facts must be taken into consideration when discussing the future of our educational systems.

Fact 1:  There is a direct relationship between SAT scores and arts study. According to a 1990 study, SAT scores tend to increase with more years of arts study and the more arts work a high school student takes the higher the scores.

Fact 2:  A 2007 Kansas study found that students in high quality school music education programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, independent of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.

Fact 3: Students who learn to play a musical instrument receive higher marks in school than their classmates who don't. Not only that, but according to a study of 5,000 students in Albuquerque, N.M., it was discovered that the longer the children had been in instrumental programs the higher they scored.

Fact 4:  Approximately 90 percent of the brain's motor control capabilities are devoted to the hands, mouth and throat. According to experts, the fine dexterity involved with playing a violin can exercise the entire brain and stimulate general intelligence.

Fact 5:  According to research at the University of Southern California, "Arts instruction has a significant positive effect on basic language development and reading readiness".

Fact 6:  A study in Colorado found that "members of instrumental music performance ensembles tend to reach higher academic achievement and exhibit lower rates of absenteeism from school than non-members."

Read more at http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/feb/10/dont_lose_arts_charleston_countys_public71212/

Dr Robert Jesselton is Carolina Distinguished Professor at University of South Carolina and Executive Director of the National String Project Consortium. 

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VIEWS FROM ABROAD

UK: Report suggests school music education "not good enough"

BBC News, 4 February 2009

Only half of school music lessons in England are good enough, according to inspectors from the watchdog Ofsted .   Its report said pupils were missing out on the positive impact music had on personal and academic development.

Lessons were judged to be "good" or "outstanding" in just half of the 84 primary and 95 secondary schools seen between September 2005 and July 2008.

Too many primary and secondary school children were not making as much progress in music as they should, despite their enthusiasm, said Ofsted's report, Making More of Music.

Standards were good or outstanding in 46 primary schools, satisfactory in 33 and inadequate in five.

Music provision was judged to be good or outstanding in just less than half of the 95 secondary schools and inadequate in 13.

Music teachers were generally found to be committed to the subject. But they were often professionally isolated and lacked professional development and opportunities to discuss music. Many were unaware of recent initiatives.

Read entire article at:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7867627.stm 

USA: Elementary school hopes music boosts test scores

Greta Cuyler, York Daily Record, 18 January 2009

All 130 kindergarten students at Schuylkill Valley Elementary School are receiving classroom instruction on the violin this school year.   But the goal is more than just teaching them to play the instrument.

The district is initiating a four-year study to examine if violin lessons boost performance on standardized tests.

"The object isn't to learn to read music or even to learn to play the violin well," said Schuylkill Valley Superintendent Solomon Lausch. "It's to see if learning to play music by imitation has a positive impact on cognitive development such that it improves general academic performance."

The program will evaluate whether the students get better grades, stay on task longer, have higher self-esteem, better musical ability and need fewer special-education services.

The district hired Sharer, director of the Reading Music Academy in West Reading, to teach violin to each kindergarten class on alternating days.

"I'm not aware of anyplace else that is doing this," Sharer said. "This is unique."

Read entire article: http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_11482147

USA:  Law-makers say more fine arts education needed

Experts, school officials testify at hearing.

Kate Alexander, News Journal, January 27, 2009

As Texas' education leaders focused on increasing standards and accountability in the 1990s, fine arts education was pushed out the door to make room for more intensive focus on test performance.

On Monday, legislators heard that it is time to bring fine arts education back in from the cold.  Author Dan Pink, in town to address the Texas Association of School Administrators, told a group of lawmakers that today's schools are "preparing kids for my past rather than their future."

There is too much focus on routine and standardization and "getting the right answer," said Pink, who has written a book about the changing nature of the work force.

Being successful in the future will require creativity, innovation and empathy, all attributes embodied by artists, Pink said. Yet schools, by and large, are not fostering those talents, he said.

Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, hosted the session with her House counterpart, Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, to begin the discussion of how fine arts education might be melded into the core curriculum, she said.

"It's not either-or. It's not science or the arts; it's not math or the arts. It is dovetailing them," Shapiro said.

Read more at http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/01/27/0127education.html

USA:  Stimulus Package Includes Millions for the Arts

Elizabeth Blair

Singers, actors and dancers can stimulate audiences, but can they stimulate the economy?

The authors of the current stimulus package seem to think so  &mdash;  they have included $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $150 million for infrastructure repairs at the Smithsonian.

Arts groups large and small are hurting, just like every other industry: The Sacramento Ballet has cancelled performances; the administrative staff of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra took a 20 percent pay cut; the Austin Museum of Art is postponing plans for a new museum downtown.  Some art institutions are shutting down altogether.

It's hard to get a handle on exactly how many other arts organizations around the country are in similar straits, but there are enough warning signs that some arts leaders are calling for government help.

Michael Kaiser, head of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, says the arts industry is made up of thousands of small organizations, so they don't always make headlines when they go bankrupt.

Read more at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99916513

USA:  How can the cultural sector survive the financial crisis?

Professor Helmut K Anheier, January 2009

It is clear to everyone who follows daily reports about the cancellation of cultural events and the closure of opera houses and theatres, or learns about economic troubles at one cultural institution or another, that the global financial crisis is already having a significant impact on philanthropic giving and non-profit organisations. [1]

It is also clear that the crisis' impact is going to get deeper and wider for some time to come.

It is less clear how long the fallout will last; and it is especially unclear what the crisis ultimately means for policy-makers, leaders and managers in the cultural sector.

This article examines how the arts and culture sector is responding to growing uncertainty in the global economy - and how the sector can weather the gathering storm

The current economic downturn, triggered by the financial crisis, is closely related to the inability of governments and international institutions to address what experts call the ‘global governance problem' - the growing mismatch between the forces of globalisation (largely financial), and the capacity of governments to steer and regulate.

Illustrative of this problem is not only the crisis itself but also the often hapless responses in political capitals: no national government and no international institution, including the European Union, is able to deal with weaknesses in the global economy.

Unless the systemic failures of governance are fixed through policies and institutions that adequately consider the challenges of a globalised economy and global financial markets, the governmental response will remain focused on managing their political image at worst and ‘doctoring with the syndrome' at best.

At another level, much more can be done, not in the sense of the global or macro issues mentioned above, but in terms of proactive policy and management responses for, and on behalf of, philanthropic giving and cultural non-profit organisations.

Read entire article at http://www.labforculture.org/en/Home/Contents/2009/How-can-the-cultural-sector-survive-the-financial-crisis

Helmut K. Anheier (Ph.D. Yale University, 1986) is Professor of Sociology at Heidelberg University and the academic Director of the Heidelberg Centre for Social Investment. He is also Professor and Director of the Centre for Civil Society and the Centre for Globalization and Policy Research at UCLA's School of Public Affairs. Anheier's work covers the civil society, the non-profit sector, philanthropy, organisational studies, policy analysis and comparative methodology. In 2008, he published Cultures and Globalization: The Cultural Economy.

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

MusicLearningLive! 2009

5-6 March 2009, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK

The National Festival of Music Education is programming a dynamic and inspirational mix of professional development sessions, presentations, case studies and performances.

MusicLearningLive!2009 includes a major trade exhibition and a dedicated Music Technology area, providing demonstrations and training in the latest software and equipment.

MusicLearningLive!2009 features a rich and diverse array of sessions over two days, including seminars, workshops, discussions, performances and keynote presentations.

UK National Music Participation Director Richard Hallam reports on his first year in post; there will be updates from Sing Up and the KS2 Instrumental and Vocal Programme; find out about the impact of the new KS3 curriculum, the Find Your Talent pilots and the new North West Music Partnership project; and get the latest news from the Music Manifesto.

Take part in Dalcroze and Kodaly workshops, be inspired by Michael Harper's Gospel sessions (just wait for his festival finale!), get practical advice from the Musicians' Union, and try the Gamelan.

Enjoy the evening performance from percussionists O Duo and relax and network at the delegates' reception.

Read more at http://www.musiclearninglive2009.net/

RIME (Research in Music Education) Conference

14-18 April 2009, University of Exeter, Devon, UK

The aim of the conference is to gather together researchers, teachers and practitioners to share and discuss their research which is concerned with all aspects  of music education: musical development, musical perception and understanding, creativity,  pedagogy, curriculum design, informal and nonformal contexts, music for special needs, technologies, instrumental and vocal teaching, teacher education, higher education, and methodological issues in research.

Keynote speakers will include Dr  Gordon Cox (Reading University, UK), Dr  Ian Cross (Cambridge University, UK), Assoc. Professor Magde Espeland (Stord/Haugesund University, Norway), Professor Liane Hentschke (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) and Professor Marie McCarthy (University of Michigan,USA).

Read more at http://education.exeter.ac.uk/pages.php?id=218

Second International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education

15-17 April 2009, Paramount Plaza Hotel, Gainesville, USA

The music education faculty of the University of Florida School of Music will host this symposium, focusing on identifying and exploring effective assessment frameworks, models, and designs for the assessment of pre K-12 and post-secondary music students and music programs.
 
This symposium will focus upon the following key questions:

• What are the effective frameworks, models, and designs for assessing student music learning in music classrooms?
• What are the effective frameworks, models, and designs for the large-scale assessment of student music learning?
• What are the effective frameworks, models, and designs for assessing music programs?
• In what ways are music educators using assessment data effectively to improve music teaching and learning?

Read more at http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/ISAME/

Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa (MENZA)  Conference 2009

Music Modulations

6-10 July 2009: Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch New Zealand

Keynote speakers and presenters include:

• Professor John Hopkins
• Professor Pamela Burnard

For further details of program, registration etc visit conference website:  http://www.music09.org.nz/

Australian Society for Music Education National Conference 2009

10- 14 July 2009:  Hotel Grand Chancellor, Launceston, Tasmania

The Committee has been successful in attracting four of the most highly regarded and internationally esteemed music educators to this event:

• Professor Jackie Wiggins,
• Professor Craig Kirchhoff, 
• Professor Margaret Barrett and 
• Professor Susan Hallam

Each will reflect upon different aspects of the theme of Musical Understanding from within and across their own areas of expertise and explore the issues in ways that illustrate what this means for all music educators.

The Conference is open to school instrumental and classroom music teachers, private music teachers, tertiary educators and academics, community-based musicians, choir and instrumental ensemble directors and their members, music therapists, composers, performers, and students.

It will feature high quality performances by a variety of local and interstate performing groups in addition to workshops, posters and papers within the theme of Musical Understanding presented by music educators from Tasmania and throughout the nation.

It will also feature the ASME Young Composers project and Composer-in-Residence project, with Karlin Greenstreet Love as Composer-in Residence. These two programs will feature the work of young composers from throughout Australia in the workshopping and presentation of their original works for Concert Band.

The featured ensemble for performance of the works of the 2009 Young Composers will be the University of Tasmania Community Music Programme Wind Orchestra under the direction of Mr Stephen King.

Further details from the Conference Website at: http://www.cdesign.com.au/asme2009/

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