FIVE Limestone Coast schools gathered earlier this month to celebrate their collective achievements in music education.
Melaleuca Park, Millicent North, Mount Burr, Penola and Rendelsham primary schools celebrated through an end of year concert which was also supported by the Song Room.
The Song Room Art Learning program brings specialist teaching artists into schools to mentor teachers in music education while also providing students with access to best practice music education.
It also aims to stimulate change and directly address educational inequities through investment in quality arts education.
Rendelsham principal Emma Howell said: “This program has been amazing.
“It skills the teachers so they become more comfortable and integrate music into their daily practice.
“One of our teachers has adapted and changed her teaching and her confidence in music has really grown.”
Ms Howell added students have “flourished” because of the program, even seeing significant improvement in literacy results for the students.
“It improves literacy because we have been doing a lot of work around progression and when you learn phonics and phonic rhythm and syllables it helps,” she said.
“At our pre-school we do a lot of work with beat and rhythm and the teachers incorporate it into the learning.”
Millicent North Primary School principal Graham Slarks said the program had an effect on multiple levels which could not be measured, such as the sense of music or the joy it brings to children.
“Before, we had a music program that was dying,” Mr Slarks said.
“Now, 32 of our students are learning an instrument.
“The kids love music now but they weren’t exposed to it before.”
