Music in Me
20 October 2021
Mentors of NMTMP: David Collins-White
Last month, the small community of Hope Vale in Far North Queensland held the world premiere of a brand new musical, E=Mc2. One of the minds behind the music was David Collins-White, a mentor with the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program.
A World Premiere in Hope Vale
Hope Vale is a regional community in the further reaches of Far North Queensland. And on Friday 10 September, 6pm, this remote Cape York community was the location of the World Premiere of a brand-new musical – E=mc2.
The new musical was developed as part of a new science curriculum from Good to Great Schools, a not-for-profit organisation working towards support schools on their improvement journey. It was performed entirely by the students and community leaders of Hope Vale.
The new musical aims to reorient the way Australian students think about scientific discovery. Underlying the theatrical fun is a serious message about the study of science.
Getting a new musical on stage is hard enough at the best of times, let alone in the middle of the pandemic. But despite the challenges, the world premiere of E=Mc2 was a tremendous success.
The musical was written by Chris Kohn with music by Lindsay Scandrett and David Collins-White.
About David Collins-White
David Collins-White is a totemic figure within the Mentoring community, as well as nationally in amongst music educators. In 2015, David collaborated with the late Richard Gill AO. David had been taught by Richard in years studying at the Sydney Conservatorium.
David helped to develop what is now the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program, taking part in the pilot program. He has since gone on to mentor 15 teachers across four schools in NSW and Queensland.
At Haberfield Public School, David has been teaching for 21 years. He is the music classroom teacher, and coordinates or conducts the school’s 10 music ensembles. David has been the artistic director of the NSW Department of Education choral concert, Cantabile Music Festival for 20 years. He has also been the Artistic Director of the NSW Department of Education’s Expanding Horizons performing arts school tours to China in 2012 and 2016.
David’s relationship with the Hope Vale community began in 2017, when Noel Pearson, Co-Chair of Good to Great Schools, expressed interest in being involved in the Mentoring Program. David travelled to Queensland to meet with the teachers at Hope Vale and present some lessons, before returning in 2018 as a Mentor.
In 2019 a group of students from Hope Vale performed at the Sydney Opera House, singing a special arrangement of their school song by David, in Guugu Yimithirr, the traditional language of Hope Vale.
The idea behind the musical
The idea of presenting the musical came from a conversation with Noel Pearson.
“In July 2020 Noel asked me to think about an idea that the story behind Albert Einstein’s famous formula E = mc2” David says. “After research and reading I drafted some ideas and songs which led to Noel engaging myself, Chris Kohn and Lindsay Scandrett to write the musical”.
It sounds simple, but the musical is a journey of epic proportions, one involving time machines and almost every notable scientific mind on earth, as well as the entire community of Hope Vale.
For David, however, it is simple. “It is essential that all Australian children have access to planned music education” he says.
“Music is an essential part of human development. It’s the foundation of aural skills, movement skills, abstract thinking and language development.”
David’s resources and process in mentoring
David’s passion for accessibility and connection comes across in his extensive YouTube resources page. His channel is accessed by thousands of students from across Australia and overseas. The channel, which David uploads to daily, is full of videos and resources for primary school students. Every day is a new song, or a musical challenge, all bursting with life and exuberance from David.
Each video begins with a hearty “Hello!” before getting into the fun stuff. A warm-up followed by an interactive, engaging lesson. At no point in any of the videos does it feel as though David is alone, recording himself. These online lessons feel present and active. David is often joined by his two stuffed doll helpers, Betty and Bruce, or his dog Zara.
After mentoring 15 teachers, David still finds joy in being involved in the process.
“Being involved in the mentoring program allows me to improve my own teaching practice” He says.
“Through reflection, but also from learning from other practitioners and students in different schools. It’s important to develop collegial relationships and share knowledge and resources”.
E=Mc2 enjoyed a hugely successful world premiere in Hope Vale last month. The musical will be performed in Sydney in 2022 by the students at Haberfield Public School.