THE NAMM FOUNDATION AWARDS AUSTRALIAN MUSIC ASSOCIATION A GRANT TO SUPPORT MUSIC-MAKING PROGRAM
Grant Aims to Increase Exposure to Participatory Music Programs
Melbourne, Australia (September 1, 2014) — The Australian Music Association is one of 21 recipients selected for to receive grant support from The NAMM Foundation. The funding will allow Musical Futures Australia to continue to offer participatory music programs, including teacher training and student participation that increase exposure to music making and its myriad benefits to the Australian community. The NAMM Foundation annually allocates $500,000 in funding to support innovative music learning programs, with the goal of expanding access to active music making.
“NAMM Member support through participation at the NAMM Shows and membership in the association allows the NAMM Foundation to provide funding to worthy community–based music-making organizations,” said Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation. “We are honored to support this important program as together we work to expand opportunities for all persons, at every age to know the joys and benefits of making music.”
The program funded by the Australian Music Association is Musical Futures Australia – an approach to teaching and learning that is reshaping the way in which students around the world are engaging with music in school in the classroom.
Musical Futures Australia (MFA) can provide training and continuing professional development for Australian teachers and schools wishing to establish Musical Futures in their classrooms.
The Australian Music Association is excited about the continued development of the Musical Futures concept said CEO, Rob Walker. This new method of engaging students and teachers in the schools where sometimes there was not any music program is market development at the very grass roots. We acknowledge and thank the NAMM Foundation for its foresight”.
“Musical Futures has proven its worth over the last 4 years”, said MFA’s Harvey. “Now around 30% of the school attending are primary schools, something that was pioneered here in Australia and, schools are reporting better engagement with school music amongst their students, increased numbers of students wanting to take instrumental lessons and significantly more students opting for music in years 9 and beyond where music becomes an elective in most schools. Teachers also report that they are ‘ reconnecting with their own musicianship’, the very thing that took them into teaching in the first instance.”
This grant is a portion of the National Association of Music Merchant’s (NAMM) annual multimillion-dollar reinvestment into the music products industry. These funds help to provide access to innovative, collaborative programs for all segments of the population. Since 1994, the NAMM Foundation has championed worthy music-making programs around the world with more than 14.2 million dollars in grant-making support.
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About Australian Music Association
Australian Music Association is the Voice of the Music Products Industry – wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and associated services for musical instruments, pro audio, print music, lighting and computer music. It’s strives to grow music making in Australia and provide events and programs that stimulate growth and development of the Music Products Industry in Australia.
For further information visit www.australianmusic.asn.au
About Musical Futures Australia
Musical Futures focuses on providing teachers around the world with the training, support, networks and resources to deliver practical, engaging, developmental music programs in the classroom.
For further information visit www.musicalfuturesaustralia.org
About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.
