Richard Gill presented the 17th Annual Peggy Glanville-Hicks Address last Monday October 26 in Sydney at the Conservatorium and also in Melbourne last Friday October 30 in Federation Square. His address challenges us to consider the current state of play with the composition and performance of new music, combined with the need to be unified in our move to develop access to music education for all students through schools across Australia, regardless of system, age of location.
He also addresses the need to ensure that teacher training was aligned with emerging practice and developments in music both national and internationally. Here is a brief excerpt from his address taken from the link provided below.
We all need to work together to promote music education locally and at the national level.
We need to agree on the following things:
that every child in Australia should have access to a thoroughly qualified and properly trained music teacher;
that we teach music because it is good and unique and no other justification is required;
that we teach music so that children can make their own music – that is new music;
that we teach music based on singing, and that all conceptual information related to the teaching of music comes from singing;
that we teach music so that children can learn to develop an appreciation and understanding of the music of others.
In the schools is where the music of the future will be found. This is where the new creative minds will be developed, where boundaries will be explored, where technology will be better understood by the new generations than any preceding generation and where we hope brave new worlds of imagination, new thoughts and new inventions will emerge.
Currently, I am trying to persuade as many music organizations in the country to join the Australian Society of Music Education, Australia’s peak body, founded purely for the purposes of advocating music education, so that we can form a powerful lobby at State and Federal Government levels. Were all educational organizations to be under one umbrella organization, ASME, it would represent a powerful constituency to which governments might potentially listen.
For the full transcript please go here to read Richard’s address. http://www.newmusicnetwork.com.au/pgh.html I encourage your to read this and share with other parents and teachers so they are aware of the value and importance music holds within our society.
Brad Merrick – ASME President
