Victorian Professional Learning Days

REPORT BY JENNY MATHERS (ANCA), SUE ARNEY, KATIE-HULL BROWN (VOSA), EMILY WILSON

Weekends throughout February and March are a professional learning jubilee for music teachers wishing to fill their teaching toolkit with new ideas for the year, extend their awareness of new ensemble repertoire and, of course, network and catch up with valued colleagues in the music education community.

Fine Music Concert Band Reading Day & The Australian Strings Association (ANCA) New Music Reading Day 2025

Across February and March, enthusiastic music educators working across primary and secondary settings who are involved in a range of ensembles could be out every weekend, and, in fact, many faces were seen at multiple events over this period of time.

The Professional Learning “Season” kicked off on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 February, with the “Repertoire Reading Days”. “Reading Days” involve the participants, usually ensemble directors forming an ensemble to play/sing/sight-read up to 50 pieces of repertoire. The repertoire in each setting ranges from beginner to advanced, with tips and advice for access and applicability along the way. Set pieces from relevant ensemble festivals are included, as are the works by current composers. A noticeable feature of the repertoire lists in recent years has been the deliberate focus on Australian composers and female composers.

This photo captures the Fine Music Concert Band Reading Day held on Sunday, 9 February, at Presbyterian Ladies College. With support from Yamaha Music Australia and ABODA Vic, the event attracted over 90 music teachers! A team of conductors – Rob McWilliams, Andrew Mathers, Joanne Heaton, Jemima Bunn, Sally Davis and Michael Jongebloed, led the ensemble through the 42 works during the four-hour session.

The Australian Strings Association (AUSTA) Vic 2025 New Music Reading Day took place on the afternoon of the same day at St Kevin’s College, Glendalough Campus. Prue Jury conducted the players through the range of repertoire presented, with Hamish Paterson accompanying on piano.

Sue Arney
Chair, ASME Vic 2025

Australian National Choir Association VIC/TAS READING DAY 2025

Our Melbourne Choral Repertoire Reading was a vibrant success on Saturday 8 February! Led by the outstanding Dr Kathleen McGuire (Guest Conductor) and Simon Stone (Accompanist), 35 attendees and your ANCA Vic-Tas Committee sang through a range of curated repertoire for unison, simple treble, advanced treble, mixed and TB choirs. Excitingly, our 2025 event boasted the highest ratio of Australian music in recent years at 32 of 46 titles!

A sincere thank you to our Australian composers who generously donated their music for perusal, as well as our event partners, Hal Leonard Australia and Devirra Music, whose continued support enriches the event. Dr Kathleen McGuire’s insightful and empathetic approach was evident in her poignant repertoire choices and sensitive conducting. In particular, the transformative atmosphere while singing Gloria - Senzeni Na - Anthem of Empowerment from “Street Requiem" - her own composition - was a definite highlight. Accompanied by Simon Stone’s expert and intuitive piano playing, their leadership resonated with our audience.

We hope that like us, our wonderful attendees exited the event with new friends, exciting repertoire, and innovative ideas for choral best practice for the year ahead!

Jenny Mathers
President Victoria & Tasmania Chapter, Australia National Choir Association (ANCA) 2025

Back To School Day 2025 | Collective Effervescence in Action

What a way to start the year! In February, 100 music educators from across Victoria gathered for the annual Back to School Day, hosted by Kodály Vic and The Victorian Orff Schulwerk Association (VOSA). The atmosphere was electric, filled with the joy of shared music-making and professional connection. It was wonderful to see such a diverse group of people attend, new and experienced classroom music and generalist teachers from both Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The day featured engaging sessions led by educators in Kodály and Orff approaches. Ruth Friend and Susan Searle guided Kodály sessions, while Alice Csabi and I led Orff sessions.

I began my session with a poem by American feminist author Loryn Brantz, read aloud as participants stretched a large loop of elastic on the word resist. This simple act became a powerful metaphor for the dedication and passion of the educators in the room—teachers who willingly gave up their weekend to invest in their growth, strengthen their practice, and enrich their students' musical experiences. Their commitment to professional learning reflects the resilience and determination that define great music educators, always striving to inspire and uplift through the power of music. Here's the poem:

In a time of hate

Love is an act of resistance.

In a time of fear

Faith is an act of resistance.

In a time of misinformation

Education is an act of resistance.

In a time of poor leadership

Community is an act of resistance.

In a time like this

Joy is an act of resistance.

Resist. Resist. Resist.

Katie Hull-Brown

President, Victorian Orff Schulwerk Association (VOSA) 2025

AMUSE VCE Music Conference 2025

The AMUSE VCE Music Conference is always an incredibly enriching event and the 2025 conference was again a wonderful experience. Offering a unique opportunity for music educators, students, and professionals to come together and share insights, there is a wealth of learning for music teachers of all career stages. The sessions were diverse, providing many valuable learning opportunities for delegates. There were presentations from Chief Assessors and experienced VCE music teachers. There were fantastic sessions about aural skills, music language skills, analysis skills, planning engaging programs, planning engaging lessons, digital tools, inclusion and differentiation, and resources to support the learning and teaching of VCE Music.

As always, my favourite part is opportunities to connect with colleagues old and new and even meet new colleagues. At this VCE Conference, it brought me great joy to reconnect with one of my own music teachers, see colleagues that I did my teacher education with and hadn’t seen for a long time, spend time with colleagues who I see all the time, and to hear how graduates from the MTeach at my workplace, the Faculty of Education at UoM are getting on in their early years of teaching.

I was so inspired to hear stories from all these people. A common theme is fostering engagement in VCE Music and Year 7-10 music to ensure that school music education is practical, relevant and future focussed, providing pathways for both lifelong learning and involvement in active music making, and for further study and moving into a career in music or music education.

The workshops I attended provided inspiration and practical ideas that I could use immediately in my own practice.

Overall, the VCE Music conference is a highlight of the calendar. It reaffirmed my passion for music education and provided me with fresh perspectives to nurture the next generation of music educators.

Emily Wilson

ASME National Secretary, ASME Vic Council member 2025

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