Arabic version: جمعيات خيرية تسد فجوات تعليم الموسيقى في مدارس نيو ساوث ويلز

According to ABC News, music education at some New South Wales primary schools depends on outside charities, while the state government prepares to release a 10-year plan for music education in public primary schools. In NSW, public schools do not have a dedicated music teacher before year 7.

At Taree Public School, year 6 student Cooper Hamilton-Riley and his classmates attend a weekly curriculum-based music session run by Matt Zarb from the Australian Children’s Music Foundation. The not-for-profit provides instruments to regional, remote and disadvantaged primary schools through philanthropy and fundraising. Cooper’s class created a song and film clip showcasing Biripi culture, a project involving the school’s Aboriginal Education Officer Toni Baxter.

The foundation told a 2024 NSW parliamentary inquiry that examined inequity, benefits, resourcing challenges and solutions for primary-school music education. The government response made 30 recommendations for delivery from 2025 to 2035, including arts and music specialisation in initial primary teacher education, teacher upskilling and expanded partnerships with artists, musicians and external arts organisations.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Carr said the plan would be released in coming weeks. Anita Collins, a neuro-musical educator and adjunct associate professor at the University of Canberra, said learning music improves pathways connected to language, numeracy and abstract thinking, but said schools should not rely on not-for-profits to fill an education-system gap.

ACMF reported a 13.6 per cent increase in attendance at Kempsey South Public School between 2022 and 2024. Taree Public principal Di Murray said attendance had improved immensely since the program began there in 2014, while Mr Zarb said funding a specialist teacher across several schools could be one option where a dedicated music teacher is unavailable.