WHAT MAKES YOU THINK MUSIC TEACHERS ARE UNDERVALUED?

Teachers' fight for recognition has upbeat finale

Heath Gilmore, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 March 2009

He is one of the country's most respected conductors and music educators, but it has taken Richard Gill more than 40 years to have his music qualifications formally recognised.

Gill is one of hundreds who studied music at the former Sydney Teachers College and the then NSW State Conservatorium of Music between 1944 and 1966.

However, the four-year special music course was deemed unworthy of a diploma or degree.

Dr Janet Ritterman, the former dean of the Royal College of Music, London, and Dr Ronald Smart, a former deputy director of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, are among those who, after 60 years of petitioning, have become eligible for a diploma of special music education from the NSW Department of Education and Training.

On Friday 71 retired teachers will accept their diploma from the Minister for Education, Verity Firth, at a graduation ceremony in Sydney.

Gill, yet to apply for his diploma because of work commitments as music director of Victoria Opera, says the belated recognition of music teachers is terrific, reflecting the hard work by the Special Music 4 Representative Teachers Association.

"I formed a student association at the conservatorium over this precise issue 45 years ago," Gill says. "Music wasn't seen to be a serious subject."

Read more at http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/teachers-fight-for-recognition-has-upbeat-finale/2009/03/03/1235842406755.html

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AWARDS & PRIZES

The Environmental Song for Australia Contest 2009

• Entry Forms to be lodged for registration by Friday 9 April 2009

• Competition Entries to be submitted by Friday 24 July 2009

We invite all Primary and Secondary schools to take part in "The Environmental Song for Australia Contest 2009 – which is being conducted in conjunction with the International Music Exhibition '09 In Melbourne later this year (see information on the Exhibition event below).

The song needs to be an entirely original composition – and to have a positive environmental message that is inspirational and uplifting.

Participating schools will have from now through to 24 July to write, prepare and rehearse their entry.  Then the finished copy will need to be submitted on a CD by 24 July for the judging panel.

There is a limit of up to 40 student participants in each school's entry.

The judges will select 8 finalists from Primary Schools and another 8 finalists from secondary schools.  If selected as a finalist, the team from your school's entry must attend the Exhibition in Melbourne on Friday 9 October 2009 to perform their song before the judging panel.

Each of the winning schools from the Primary and Secondary entries will also be required to attend the Exhibition on Saturday 10th October and Sunday 11th October – to perform their song on stage with a major artist (yet to be chosen).

The winning school entry from Primary and from Secondary will each receive a $6,000 musical instrument package donated by Yamaha Music Australia. 

Runners up in each category will also receive a prize – and each student will receive a certificate.

Yamaha Music Australia will supply percussion instruments for performances at the Exhibition if schools wish to have these as accompaniments in their performance of their song. – as well as stage and sound equipment.  (If you do decide that some students will be playing music instruments in performance at the finals at the Exhibition, we will need to know the type and quantity in advance).  Please note: the stage will not be set up for stringed instruments.

Similarly, you can also have pre-recorded backing music if you so desire – which you will need to provide in a format suited to the sound equipment

There will be an Entry Fee of $25 to accompany each entry to cover administrative costs. 

However, all students who enter, together with accompanying teachers, will gain free entry to the Exhibition

For further information and to download an Entry Form: http://www.imex.net.au/envsoncont.html

Enquiries:  Sami Thompson on sami@ceo.net.au or phone (02) 9894 8911

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2009 National Awards for Excellence in School Music Education:

Nominations are now invited for the 2009 National Awards!

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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REBUILDING MUSIC RESOURCES AFTER VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES

MCA "Resound" Bushfire Recovery Program to replace lost instruments

The Music Council of Australia "Resound" program, in partnership with the Dandenong Ranges Music Council, is organising donations of musical instruments to musicians of all ages and ability who have lost instruments in the recent Victorian bushfires. We have received many offers of instruments but want to make sure that real need is met with good quality instruments, suited to the musicians who will be using them.

To fill the need satisfactorily, an application form has been set up for those needing their musical instrument/s replaced. The form is only accessible through this emailed link. Whether the lost instrument was a $30 uke or a violin worth thousands, we know how important it is to get people playing again quickly, so this is an appeal designed to match ALL needs, great and small.

If you have lost a musical instrument due to the fires, please click on the link to fill out the form: http://www.mca.org.au/resoundbushfireappeal

If you know of someone who has been affected in this way, please forward this email to them so that they can access the form.

All applications will be considered and we intend to start replacing instruments as soon as possible.

If you know of someone interested, or if you are interested in donating an instrument, please don't hesitate to contact Rachel Hocking at rhocking@mca.org.au  directly, or go to http://www.mca.org.au/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=1

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OPINION

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best

Art and music are key to student development.

Fran Smith, 28 February 2009

"Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence," sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems.

Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork.

A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion.

Read entire article: http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

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FROM HERE AND THERE

Canada: Government to Boost Arts Funding

Artinfo, 27 January 2009

The conservative government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which angered arts leaders last year with $45 million in cuts to arts funding, is trying to repair its relationship with cultural institutions, the Star (Toronto) reports.

The government is calling for $160 million (US$130 million) in spending on the arts in a new budget to be announced today by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

The new funding will reportedly include $100 million for arts festivals, music, and comedy across the country and $60 million for the Cultural Spaces Canada program, which constructs and maintains theatres, museums, and other cultural buildings. Both allocations are to be spread out over two years, while the $45 million figure last year was an annual cut.

Some Canadian pundits believe that the uproar over last year's arts cuts prevented the Harper government from winning a majority in recent elections.
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/30231/canadian-government-to-boost-arts-funding/

Finland: World's oldest performing tenor is still going strong

Juha Mäkinen, Helsinkin Sanomat, February 2009

Vilho Kekkonen is the oldest performing tenor in the world.  Vilho was born in February 1909 and celebrated his 100th birthday on 21 February 2009.

When Kekkonen was born, the midwife said that as he came into the world on Sunday, right after the church service, he was very likely to become a cantor.  Kekkonen eventually did become a cantor, but it took some time.

As a young man he did odd jobs from timber floating to working on the roads with an asphalt gang.

During the Interim Peace (1941) between Finland's wars with the Soviet Union he received his cantor-organist degree at the age of 32 and in 1950 he took a diploma in singing at the Sibelius Academy.

In the 1940s, Kekkonen played supporting characters in films and sang in the choir of the Finnish Opera.  In the period from 1950 to 1974, Kekkonen worked as the cantor-organist of Taulumäki Church in the rural municipality of Jyväskylä. For many years, he served as a choirmaster and singing teacher.

Kekkonen is more known for his singing than for his playing skills - and most of all for being still in possession of his talents at such an advanced age.  Kekkonen has carried the title of the world's oldest performing tenor for a long time - it was mentioned already in the 1996 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Read entire article: http://www.hs.fi/english/article/World%E2%80%99s+oldest+performing+tenor+is+till+going+strong++/1135243794849

South Korea: Funding culture to unite people to overcome economic slump

Yu In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sport & Tourism, Korea Times, 4 March 2009

The economic crisis is widely spreading across the world.  Korea and other major countries are sparing no efforts in overcoming it.  What draws fresh attention during the process is "culture".  There may seem to be no relation between culture and the economic crisis, but the fundamental way to cope with it comes from culture because it heals people's painful hearts.  During these difficult economic times our lives would be much harsher without culture and art.

In addition, now is the era of cultural content.  Without creative cultural content there is no sustainable economic growth and we cannot get out of the era of "economic growth without employment".

Read entire article at: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/02/270_39649.html

USA: In Tough Times, the Humanities Must Justify Their Worth

Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 24 February 2009

One idea that elite universities like Yale, sprawling public systems like Wisconsin and smaller private colleges like Lewis and Clark have shared for generations is that a traditional liberal arts education is, by definition, not intended to prepare students for a specific vocation.

Rather, the critical thinking, civic and historical knowledge and ethical reasoning that the humanities develop have a different purpose: They are prerequisites for personal growth and participation in a free democracy, regardless of career choice.

But in this new era of lengthening unemployment lines and shrinking university endowments, questions about the importance of the humanities in a complex and technologically demanding world have taken on new urgency.

Read entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/books/25human.html?_r=2

USA: Massive cutbacks in arts funding by US companies, governments

Jeff Lassahn, World Socialist Website, 17 February 2009

The combined impact of declining corporate sponsorship and drastic government budget cuts is producing a genuine calamity for arts organizations in the US.

Concerts, theatrical productions, art exhibitions and, in some cases, entire performance seasons are being cancelled at an alarming rate. Public schools are losing arts programs; artists are losing grants; numerous theatres, opera houses, music venues and galleries face closure. Arts workers, too, are losing their jobs, with the current unemployment rate in the field estimated conservatively to be 12.5 percent.

The CEO of non-profit Americans for the Arts, Bob Lynch, told the Associated Press that some 10,000 arts organizations nationwide have disappeared or are close to ending their operations. This represents about 10 percent of the total, and the economic crisis is only a few months old.

Arts organizations in the US are especially vulnerable because so many in recent years have come to rely on either corporate largesse or the contributions of wealthy individuals, or both. Aside from the inevitable ideological limitations this placed on arts groups, this corrupt relationship tied the latter to the fate of the stock market and the wider economy.

Groups that accept a model demanding profitability are cutting programs and often "popularizing" efforts in an attempt to attract viewers or spectators. Unfortunately, under present conditions, this often narrows the scope of artistic presentation and creativity. Overall, reviewing the dire news in the art world nationwide is much like reading the latest reports on mass layoffs and factory closures.

Read entire article: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/cuts-f17.shtml

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RESOURCES

Keystone Creations

Keystone Creations provides quality curriculum and values-based songs for the busy teacher. 

Our practical, easy-to-use products include a CD of songs with accompanying resource books.  They target outcomes and learning sequences of the Primary School Curriculum documents.

The original concept had in mind the non-musical teacher, however, after extensive research, it grew to include simple music scores for the benefit of music teachers.

These resources aim to make learning an enjoyable experience for students and teachers alike.

This unique concept teaches 'a lesson in every lyric', ensuring that, through the meaningful, values-based lyrics and catchy melodies, students will be learning, without even realizing it!

Each song comes packed with ideas, which not only enhance the classroom experience, and address specific curriculum unit content, but also provide suggestions for performance pieces and activities in the all-important school assemblies. "

Read more at http://www.keystonecreations.com.au/index.html

Suite101.com

With 12 years online, over 150,000 articles and more than 2,000 professional, paid contract writers, Suite101.com is dedicated to delivering great articles by skilled writers on some 400 specific topics.

Among them is "music education" at http://musicappreciation.suite101.com/.

There is a strong focus on structured and informed classroom approaches to successful music education, but also some pertinent and often challenging analysis and commentary on music education policies and practices.

Look for articles by Stephen Crabbe, a highly experienced and well credentialled Australian music educator, at http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/crabby97

Suite101.com Media Inc. is a private Canadian company based in Vancouver, British Columbia with an office in Berlin and an international staff of 20.

Naxos Music Library

The Naxos Music Library is the world's largest online music library, containing recordings from the Naxos catalogue as well as from over 50 independent labels.

It offers streaming access to more than 265,000 music tracks. Genres range from classical, jazz and world music to rock, metal and pop.

Now, Naxos provides the facility to bring this into your classroom with specially-created Australian secondary student study areas.

Designed with teachers and students in mind, the Naxos Music Library is fast becoming an indispensable resource for Australian education institutions.

The Naxos Music Library's Australian secondary study area is written by professional music academics, and includes topics brimming with music examples, such as Music of the Baroque, Romantic and Twentieth Century, Binary Form, The Orchestra, Electronic and Experimental Music, and The Opera.

In addition, the Naxos Music Library contains many useful extra resources. There are synopses of over 700 operas, a pronunciation guide, glossary of music terms, and composer and performer biographies.

Read more about NML at http://www.naxosmusiclibrary.com

For information regarding subscriptions and a special school pricing structure, please contact Dianne Johnston, Select Audio-Visual Distribution (Naxos Australia) on 02 8966 3303.

Stickers for Young Musicians in Your School

FREE 'Music Play for Life' and 'Sing for Life' stickers are available for all schools on request - to go on kids' music cases, books and foreheads.

They're very popular and help build a music/classroom teacher's armoury of rewards!

Requests by email to emma.mpfl@mca.org.au. Include in your email:

• Numbers wanted of "Music Play for Life" Stickers
• Numbers wanted of "Sing for Life" Stickers
• School name
• Contact name
• Mailing Address

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

IMEX – International Music Exhibition

9-11 October 2009, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

See, touch, hear and play – a world of music and stage at the MEC 2009!  IMEX Melbourne 2009 is a bold new Australian International exhibition for anyone and everyone with a passion for music.

Performers, educators, students, musicians, teachers and hobbyists will all find a world of interest when they attend this three-day event in Melbourne.  The show will also attract professionals from every kind of musical venue in sound, lighting and staging – plus everyone looking to develop a career or particular interest in the industry.

Every facet of music in action, from piccolos to pianos, triangles to tubas, solo to symphony; from behind the scenes to centre stage – you will find everything at this inaugural exhibition, which is shaped to include consumers, performers and professionals everywhere!

A vivid atmosphere of sound, light and entertainment to match the enthusiasm of the suppliers on show and the wide array of visitors will pervade the show, with a series of professional performances centre stage – plus the finalists of the national "Environment Song for Australia" demonstrating the best of music in action in primary and secondary schools across the country.

Further information:  http://www.imex.net.au/

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REMINDERS

14-18 April - Research in Music Education Conference - University of Exeter, UK - http://education.exeter.ac.uk/pages.php?id=218

15-17 April - Second International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education - Gainesville, USA - Read more at http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/ISAME/

3-6 July - Il est bel et bon! - Banks Peninsula, NZ - http://www.merc.canterbury.ac.nz/

6-10 July - Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa Conference - Christchurch, NZ - http://www.music09.org.nz/

10-14 July - Australian Society for Music Education National Conference - Launceston, TAS - http://www.cdesign.com.au/asme2009/

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ACSSO EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

• Australian Education Digest : http://www.acsso.org.au/aed.htm (weekly)
• International News Roundup : http://www.acsso.org.au/roundup.htm (monthly)
• Values Education : http://www.valuesineducation.org.au/news.htm (monthly)
• Languages Education : http://www.languageseducation.com/news.htm (monthly)
• Ensemble - Music Education : http://www.ensemble.org.au/news.htm (monthly)
• Family School Partners : http://www.familyschool.org.au/?page_id=6 (monthly)
• Public Education Voice : http://www.acsso.org.au/pev.htm (quarterly)

Do you know of an event or resource that schools should know about? Email us at letters@acsso.org.au
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