In Sydney 600 children performed this year's song, The Music is Everything, which was co-written by four NSW high school students, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House with former Australian Idol star Guy Sebastian. In Melbourne, 500 students filled Federation Square.

Other students sang at assemblies and classrooms around the country.

The Canberra event, which featured the Royal Military College Duntroon Band, was streamed live around the country so other school students could get the feeling of singing en masse.

Event ambassador and former musical director of Australian Idol, John Foreman, said it was an "extraordinary event" for students to be involved in.

Read entire article: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/children-join-joyful-mass-chorus/1657406.aspx?storypage=0

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AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN’S MUSIC FOUNDATION (ACMF)

Announcing new Orchestra and Choral music Programs

The Australian Children's Music Foundation announces that its newest music program is currently under development with programs in a number of schools and communities in Australia planned for 2010 – commencing with a major pilot program.

These programs are primarily for disadvantaged Australian schools and communities, where they are needed most – for those who can least afford them, and those who will get the most benefit from them.

Some programs will be established following on from the successful ACMF School Music Programs in those schools and communities where there is interest to extend the schools music programs further. We will work in conjunction with the entire school community – the principal and teaching team, the children, the parents and the wider community - to bring about the optimum musical experience for them.

Our Orchestral and Choral Music Programs are based around the hugely successful Venezuelan music education program - “El Sistema”, the brainchild of Jose Antonio Abreu, a Venezuelan musician and economist who created the program to provide joy and hope through music to the poor children of Venezuela – to relieve their situation and take them away and off the streets of violence and gangs, by teaching them intensively in the skills and passion of orchestral classical music.

For further details – Please contact Christopher Nicholls, Director, Orchestral Programs, The Australian Children's Music Foundation - P: 02 9929 2008 M: 0418 487322 E: chris@acmf.com.au W: http://www.acmf.com.au

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ACMF’s “Music for Hope” program: music magic for young minds

Dellaram Jamali, the Age, October 22, 2009

ASK childhood entertainer Don Spencer and he'll tell you music is magic, and so it is hoped for the students of Strathewen Primary School, eight months since their school was destroyed in the Black Saturday fires.

Most of the students lost their homes. Some lost friends and family. Now, with money raised from School Aid and through the initiative of the Australian Children's Music Foundation, the Music for Hope program has been established for five of the worst-affected primary schools.

At the launch of the program yesterday, the students strummed away on their ukuleles, their faces beaming with excitement as entertainer and ACMF founder Spencer waltzed into the classroom, guitar on board.

"Everybody loves music, everyone reacts to music so it's a great way to connect and bring people out of themselves and let them see the world through different eyes," Spencer said.

Accompanied by Wilbur Wilde on saxophone and Chris Aitken on guitar, the morning turned a room filled with traumatic memories into an atmosphere of warmth and delight. The program runs for 12 months, from next term.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/a-little-bit-of-music-magic-soothes-young-minds-20091021-h91e.html

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Australian School Children Bring the Gift of Music and Hope to Bushfire Affected Communities

Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF) 21 October 2009

The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF) has been revealed as the first grant recipient to benefit from a record-setting fundraising effort of $860,000 by 230,000 Australian school children for SchoolAid’s Victorian Bushfire Emergency Appeal.

As one of the largest SchoolAid grant recipients, The ACMF has wasted no time in launching its ‘Music for Hope’ program for Victorian primary schools affected by the tragic bushfires, using the power of music to assist communities and schools to address the trauma many local children have experienced.

“We’re delighted to be working with The Australian Children’s Music Foundation and its unique ‘Music for Hope’ program,” said SchoolAid Founder Sean Gordon. “The outstanding fundraising results for this appeal demonstrate the collective contribution Australia’s schoolchildren can make to the recovery of fellow students in Victoria and music is a wonderful way to do this.”

Founder of The ACMF, Don Spencer OAM, said that while there has a been a great deal of focus on the physical rebuilding of communities in these areas, feedback from educators suggested many of the school children were facing long-term trauma. “We know that music can assist in enabling young people to express their emotions and innermost feelings. The joy of music can provide the release and relief that is vital after such an incredible and devastating event.”

Read entire release: http://www.acmf.com.au/documents/ACMF_helps_bushfire_affected_areas.pdf

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MUSIC EDUCATION BLOGS

With the proliferation and increasing ease of use of blogging software, just about anyone can set themselves up as a blogger, an online diarist raising topics and inviting discussion. It should be no surprise that some bloggers focus on music education, with all its issues, opportunities, frustrations and joys. We've listed just a few of the more popular bloggers here, but the good thing is they tend to provide lots of links to other bloggers. With just a few clicks you'll quickly enter a mutually supportive world where music education is the major topic of discussion.

MCA Discussion Blog
http://www.mca.org.au/discussion/
The Music Council of Australia (MCA) provides information, and organises research, advocacy and projects to advance music and musical life in Australia and the world. The Music Council of Australia (MCA) is informed of anxiety among school music teachers about the consequences for music of the new National Curriculum. This missive is to tell you what we know and to invite you to post questions or comments.

Jonathan Savage
http://jsavage.org.uk/
Savage is a Reader in Education at the Institute of Education at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Royal Northern College of Music. He also runs a a company specialising in the production of educational hardware and software. His blog is an interesting reflection on his various interests, most of which relate to the arts, education and technology in various combinations.

A Music Education Blog Collective
http://collective.musiced.net/
We are a collective of US music educators who hope our observations and contributions stimulate, expand, provoke and revitalize discussion in our field. We will be concentrating on current topics and events that are at the margins or completely left out of every day discussion in the field and hope that as more people contribute, the dialogue will grow. We also hope to weave together news, ideas and contributions of other bloggers in music and related fields in a way helpful to other music teachers in classroom practice.

Music Technology in Education
http://jamesfrankel.musiced.net/2009/10/20/off-to-atmi/
Dr. James Frankel is the Managing Director of SoundTree in the US, the leader in music, audio and video technology solutions for educators. Before taking the helm at SoundTree, he was the instrumental and general music teacher at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, NJ for 11 of his nearly 15 years in the New Jersey Public Schools. Dr. Frankel is an Adjunct Faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University where he teaches courses on music technology. Dr. Frankel has published three books and over 50 articles on music education.

Catalysts & Connections
http://etobiasblog.musiced.net/
Evan Tobias is Instructor of Music Education at Arizona State University School of Music in the US where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. This blog attempts to continue and expand dialogue of issues that relate to music education. It attempts to cross interdisciplinary boundaries and make connections both within and outside the field of music education as well as serve as a medium for personal reflection on the various issues and ideas discussed.

Music Is Not For Insects
http://mystro2b.edublogs.org/about/
A blog about music ed, technology and other important things. Ken Pendergrass teaches music at Thurgood Marshall Elementary in Seattle, USA. Mr. Pendergrass taught elementary music at Coe and View Ridge Schools for six years and started his teaching career at a middle school in Southern California. He also conducts the Seattle Pacific University Men’s Choir.

Mustech: Music Education
http://mustech.net/category/music-education
MUSicTECHnology.net was established in order to spread the word faster about music, technology and other related educational topics. The site was created by American Dr. Prof. Joseph Pisano and features several blogs (music advocacy, software-hardware, etc), with this one focusing on music education news stories (mostly US) and the author's own observations.

Tales From The Podium
http://www.musicedmagic.com/tales-from-the-podium.html
The personal weblog of Chad Criswell, MusicEdMagic Webmaster. Chad Criswell is a thirteen year veteran music educator, residing in central Iowa, USA. He has taught all levels of music instruction, including nine years teaching high school band before recently venturing into the land of elementary instrumental music. He is a well respected resource person for many teachers, with his articles being published in many periodicals.

Espie's Music Education Blog
http://musiced.about.com/b/
Espie Estrella is a US pianist and songwriter: "Music is all around us; it touches everyone regardless of culture and age. As your guide to music education, it is my goal to introduce you to topics relating to music. From music history to types of musical instruments and other relevant subjects, I hope this web site will be of help to you. Nobody is too young or too old for music, that's why I wish you the inspiration to pursue your musical dream."

musicteachers911
http://musicteachers911.blogspot.com/
musicteachers911 is a US music teacher blog designed to assist music teachers of all venues to explore what it's like to perform on weekends in various bands for additional funds. It highlights the good and bad of the working musician's life and the mistakes and lessons learned from each gig. This blog is used in conjunction with the musictechers911 podcast hosted by Larry Marra available on the iTunes store.

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OPINION

Classical Music in Crisis?

Mr M Sullivan, Director of Instrumental Music, Brisbane Girls Grammar School, 22 October 2009

Since the mid-1980s the alarm bells have been sounding in the western world for the future of classical music. Subscription sales to concerts have fallen each year, audiences are aging, and younger people seem to be disengaged by classical music. Professional arts companies are struggling with their budgets requiring increased government support, reducing their activities or even closing completely.

The closure of the iconic Tower Records retail chain in the United States signalled the decline of the classical recording industry and the vibrant and profitable production line that shaped the performance styles of thousands of twentieth-century musicians and the knowledge of millions of listeners. Even the classical music critic in the daily papers has all but disappeared as readers no longer rely on classical reviews.

A quick search of the Internet can readily find many articles lamenting the state of music education in leading countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany, owing to funding cutbacks.

In Australia the outlook is also bleak with the 2005 National Review of School Music Education making it clear that music education is ‘at a critical point where action is needed’ and that ‘there are cycles of neglect and inequality which impact to the detriment of too many young Australians.’ (Pascoe et al., 2005, p. iii)

Little tangible change has been evident at the national level since this report was delivered except the announcement by Minister Garrett in April this year that the arts would be included in stage two of the national curriculum process.

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The Mystery of Music: What about it has such power over human beings?

Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal, 17 October 2009

Here we go again: A paper published by two researchers at the University of London claims to prove that music affects our responses to visual images. In "Crossmodal Transfer of Emotion by Music," Joydeep Bhattacharya and Nidhya Logeswaran report that people who look at a picture of a human face can be influenced in how they evaluate the emotion shown by that face if they listen to a 15-second snippet of music before viewing it. If the music is "happy," then the subject is more likely to judge the facial expression shown in the picture as happy—even if the expression is neutral—and vice versa.

Forgive me for rolling my eyes, but I've been down this road a few million times, and I still don't know where it leads. Only the tone-deaf doubt the power of music, though some feel it more strongly than others. Kingsley Amis actually went so far as to claim that "only a world without love strikes me as instantly and decisively more terrible than one without music." Catch me on the right day and I might well go along with Amis—but why? What is it about music that is capable of swaying human emotions?

To answer that question, you have to start by asking another one: What does music mean? We know what a pop song or an opera aria means because the words tell us—but how do we know what a symphony means? Instrumental music is nonverbal and thus radically ambiguous. It doesn't lend itself to what might be called content-oriented analysis, though plenty of intellectuals have tried to analyze it in precisely that way. The philosopher Susanne Langer, for instance, defined music as "a tonal analogue of emotive life." Yeah, well, OK, but what does that mean?

Read entire article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574433340069373698.html

Mr. Teachout, the Journal's drama critic, writes "Sightings" every other Saturday and blogs about the arts at www.terryteachout.com. Write to him at tteachout@wsj.com.

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RESEARCH

Sustainable futures: Towards an ecology of musical diversity

With the developments in migration, travel, and technology over the past fifty years (probably the most significant period of musical change in the past two millennia), musical diversity has simultaneously come to our ears and under threat.

Almost anywhere in the world, music from many backgrounds is accessible live in concert or in community settings, through radio and television, on CDs and cassettes, by downloads and streaming.

We take this musical wealth for granted, just as most people can casually decide for a variety of tastes in food when craving different tastes on their palate.

However, at the same time, many 'small musics' are in danger, well beyond the dynamics of musical styles and genres emerging and disappearing 'organically' as a result of changing tastes or circumstances.

The five-year, five-million dollar project Sustainable futures for music cultures seeks to identify the key triggers for musical sustainability, and make these available to communities across the world with the purpose of empowering them to forge musical futures on their own terms.

The project is funded as an ARC Linkage project and built on a partnership between:

The International Music Council
The World Music & Dance Centre
the Music Council of Australia
Griffith University
The University of Sydney
Southern Cross University
Washington University
Lund University

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NEWS FROM HERE & THERE

Australia: Award hits right note with Rockhampton music education group

ABC News, 28 September 2009

Organisers of a music education program in Rockhampton say they are honoured to have won a national award.

Hundreds of Queensland students have taken part in the Southern Cross Soloists Winter Music School which is held in Rockhampton once a year.

The program includes a week-long music training session in Rockhampton for students from regional areas across the state.

A member of the group, pianist Kevin Power, says the group has been recognised for making an 'Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music Education'.

"We're a group which has based ourselves in Brisbane, we all come from Queensland," he said.

"For over 15 years that we've been in existence, it has been made very clear to us when we go to Sydney and Melbourne and places and talk to journalists and administrators that if we were serious about things we would be in Sydney and Melbourne, so it's great to see recognition for something that happens in Queensland, particularly something that happens in regional Queensland."

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/28/2698200.htm

Find out more about the work of the Southern Cross Soloists via their Website: http://www.southernxsoloists.com/joomla15/

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Creating New Blends - National Orff Conference 2010

3-8 January 2010, Immanuel College, Adelaide, SA

ANCOS is delighted to bring you this opportunity to experience and celebrate the vibrancy and innovation of the Orff Schulwerk approach to creative music education.

Music educators from all sectors will enhance their knowledge & skills through active participation in moving, singing, playing, improvising & composing music.

Five days include 37 international, interstate and local presenters covering a wide range of topics and interest plus more than 50 hands on workshops.

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10th Cultural Diversity in Music Education Conference: The cultural aesthetics of teaching

11-13 January 2010, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, NSW

Increasingly, scholars are turning their attention to the development and use of culturally appropriate pedagogies that match the music they chose to teach.

Tensions between ways of teaching, what happens when music travels to new teaching and learning settings, the outcomes of mismatches between culturally developed learning styles and teaching methods in music, how teachers adapt methods to suit learners from different learning backgrounds - all of these are issues on the agenda if music education is be truly culturally diverse.

Cultural Diversity in Music Education, is a network for institutions and individuals with interests in the dynamic life of music, education and culture, who wish to pursue questions of position, content, and methodology relevant to teaching music and culture to students in a variety of contexts.

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2010 Biennial Music Educators National Conference

25-27 March 2010, Anaheim, California, USA

Presented by MENC: The National Association for Music Education (USA), this conference has a special focus on Research in Music Education and Music Teacher Education, and is designed to provide opportunities for leaders in research, pedagogy, and practice to present their ideas to the field and to learn of new data, approaches, and ideas from colleagues across the nation.

Learn about the latest research initiatives and the historical roots of the profession
Acquire classroom management skills for urban, suburban and rural settings
Discover how technology has enhanced pedagogy and assessment in the classroom

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REMINDERS

16-21 November - South-East Asian Conference on Music Therapy - Bangkok, Thailand - http://www.music.mahidol.ac.th/seamt2009

25-26 February 2010 - musiclearninglive!2010 - Manchester, UK - http://www.musiclearninglive2010.net/

24-27 March 2010 - Musikmesse Frankfurt - Frankfurt am Main, Germany - http://musik.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/besucher/willkommen/erleben.html

1-6 August 2010 - International Society for Music Education World Conference - Beijing, China - http://www.isme.org/2010/

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