2025: A turning point for music education in Australia
This year has been monumental. As an Advisory Working Group member recently remarked, we may well look back at 2025 as the pivotal year in our work, with the conversation around music education was elevated to possibly the highest levels in decades.
Building on momentum from 2024 — including the release of our ACER Primary Teachers Survey in South Australia and the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry — in 2025 both the NSW and Victorian governments made commitments to address inequity in access to music education in government schools, while our initiative focused on advancing the national conversation ahead of the anticipated Revive National Cultural Policy review.
Reflecting on some of our highlights in 2025:
· Our new Patron – In February, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, announced her Patronage of Music Education: Right from the Start. “Music has the power to change lives,” she said in a special video message. “Music is a powerful gift to give our young people.”
· NSW Arts Minister launched landmark research – On 15 May, Homebush West Public School came alive with drums, choirs, and an orchestra as The Hon. John Graham MLC launched our ACER Primary Teachers’ Survey on music education in NSW. Minister Graham highlighted the need to address barriers to access and noted the Government’s commitment to a 10-year Music Education Plan.
· Turning evidence into action – Surveying 706 teachers across 95 public primary schools, the Survey provides the first comprehensive baseline of music teaching in NSW government schools. Senior Advisor Dr Anita Collins analysed the findings in her Setting the Tempo insights report, and shared her insights on radio and presentations to key stakeholders. Beyond the survey, we reinforced our focus on classroom music as the foundation for equitable access for all children and built relationships with national research partners to understand trends in young people’s participation in music, and explore ways to collaboratively address the gaps in research.
The grounds of Homebush West Public School, where principal Estelle Southall has established a comprehensive music program for all students K-6, came alive with music at the launch of our ACER Primary Teachers’ Survey on Music Education in May 2025.
· NSW Government backs Music Education Plan – In November, the NSW Department of Education convened 27 cross-sector leaders to share its early ambition vision for the state’s first 10-year Music Education Plan — a key recommendation of last year’s Parliamentary Inquiry — in a welcomed open and transparent session. Secretary Murat Dizdar reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to supporting teachers and principals on the ground in government primary schools.
· Government leadership championed music education – It was inspiring to see leaders advancing the music education agenda. In Victoria, Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries Ms Katie Hall MP is driving this work, speaking at the Australian Music Association Summit about the value of music education and her commitment to ensuring the state remains “a vibrant place for music and creativity to flourish.” Federal Special Envoy for the Arts, The Hon. Susan Templeman MP, highlighted the importance of equity and access at the Australian Children’s Music Foundation gala in September: “Every child deserves the chance to discover their voice, to establish a lifelong connection with creativity, and to feel the joy that music brings,” she said. “[ACMF’s] work reminds us that music must be a right, not a privilege.”
· Music Education moves up Victoria’s agenda – Alberts executive director Emily Albert was invited to join the 13-member Department of Education Working Group, chaired by Deputy Secretary Dr David Howes. The group met was formed following a state-wide Music Education roundtable on 6 August, championed by Ms Katie Hall MP, and hosted by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll and Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks. The Victorian Working Group will reconvene in 2026, continuing to advise the Government on ways to strengthen their music education policy.
Victorian Minister for Education The Hon. Ben Carroll (third from left), with Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries Ms Katie Hall MP (fourth from left), and Emily Albert (fifth from left) joined sector leaders, school principals, and Department of Education staff at a Ministerial music education roundtable in Melbourne in August.
· Uniting the sector around a Federal ask – Our draft Federal Position Paper, informed by our three expert advisory groups and outlining recommendations for future music education policy, sat at the centre of our third national stakeholder briefing of 2025. In November, more than 50 invested voices – many new to the conversation – came together to discuss a united sector-wide ask, stronger federal-state collaboration, and what the sector should seek in the anticipated 2026 review of the Revive National Cultural Policy, announced by the ALP during the May 2025 election.
· Collaboration at the heart of change – We strengthened long-standing relationships with state Departments of Education and teachers ‘ unions, while also exploring shared goals and opportunities to strengthen music education through connections with groups such as the NSW P&C Federation, Creative Australia, and the National Advocates for Arts Education. We continue to seek out and value broad perspectives - principals and parents, teachers, and the wider music industry - because system-wide change depends on everyone playing their part.
Members of Music Education: Right from the Start’s project team and expert working groups had a rare change to connect in person at Homebush West Public School in May (from left): Alicia Neil, Emily Albert, Dr Rachael Dwyer, Alex Masso, Dr Anita Collins, Anne Frankenberg, Dr Jason Goopy, Alice Gerlach, Bernie Heard, and Judith Bowtell.
As we look ahead to 2026, there are exciting opportunities for us to deliver on the vision of our new three-year strategy: prioritising a competent and confident teaching workforce; empowering principals and school leaders to build strong music cultures; and continuing to inform policy through a robust knowledge base. We are excited to keep building momentum and working collaboratively to ensure every child has equitable access to sequential, ongoing music education - because music is an essential part of every student’s learning and life.
(Feature image: NSW Arts Minister The Hon. John Graham (second right), with Homebush West Public School primary students and Music Education: Right from the Start project team members (from left) Alicia Neil, Judith Bowtell, Dr Anita Collins, ACER’s Dr Rebecca Taylor, and head of this initiative, Emily Albert. Image: Liz Keene Photography).
