AMA Submission to NSW Parliamentary Committee

26th July 2024

The Australian Music Association has a strong history of advocating for the importance of music education and participation in music, and increasing access to quality music education for all children. Earlier this year a Joint Select Committee within NSW Parliament was established to investigate Arts and Music Education and Training in NSW. 

The AMA has been involved in the Music Education Right From The Start initiative led by Alberts and is represented on its Advisory Group. The AMA also has a history of writing submissions to inquiries such as these, raising issues and proposing solutions.

The AMA’s submission addressed

  • classroom music education in schools,
  • instrumental music education and co-curricular activities,
  • the connection between those things and organisations outside the school system (private providers, music schools & stores, arts organisations, community music groups, regional conservatoriums, and so on,
  • Training needs of our industry, in particular the situation with instrument technicians.

The recommendations in our submission were:

  1. Develop a Music Education Action Plan. This would be operational in nature, to address systemic barriers to quality music education in NSW, with particular emphasis on public schools.
  2. Set ambitious but achievable standards as part of providing quality music education to NSW public school students.
    1. 60 minutes per week of music education for every child, throughout the primary school years
    2. Instrumental music education is core business
  3. Develop a range of policy initiatives and responses to advance quality music education in NSW.
    1. Upgrade the staffing code for music
    2. Consider all likely uses of school facilities, including music, as part of Asset Management
    3. Develop tools for Principals
  4. Provide funding that will improve opportunities for participation in music education, including:
    1. Funding for music education programs in public schools
    2. Targeted bursaries / fee relief for participation in music education programs, primarily in public schools
  5. Develop plans to address workforce capability issues:
    1. More specialist music teachers
    2. Generalist teachers that are more confident teaching music
    3. Music tutors, conductors and other music educators have access to skills and career development (programs/training/courses) and incentives to use them.
    4. Address skills shortages in the music products industry, particularly Musical Instrument Makers & Repairers.
  6. Other proposals
    1. Collect data, both systematically (reporting, coding) and through surveys or other methods.
    2. Develop initiatives and incentives that encourage ongoing musical learning and participation beyond the school years
    3. Careers information about the music sector.

Read the AMA submission | Read other submissions

AMA Executive Officer, Alex Masso, has been invited to give evidence at a hearing on 30th July at NSW Parliament. Other witnesses include representatives from Alberts, ASME, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, regional conservatoriums, Sydney Youth Orchestras, NAVA, Drama NSW, Ausdance, and more.