Music in Me
23 April 2026
Music education: Australia’s next national priority
A national delegation of music education leaders, including AYO Music in Me Director Bernie Heard, has briefed the Hon. Jason Clare MP on why quality, sequential music education is the logical next national focus for Australian primary schools — a strategic multiplier for literacy, numeracy, wellbeing and teacher practice.
AYO Music in Me has joined leaders from across the Australian music education sector in a landmark federal briefing with the Minister for Education, the Hon. Jason Clare MP. Convened in Sydney with the support of the Federal Special Envoy for the Arts, Ms Susan Templeman MP, the meeting was hosted by the national Music Education: Right from the Start initiative and marks a significant milestone in the five-year, sector-wide effort to place quality music education on the federal agenda.
The delegation included Senior Advisor Dr Anita Collins; Emily Albert, Executive Director of Alberts and Head of Music Education: Right from the Start; Musica Viva Australia CEO Anne Frankenberg; The Song Room CEO Alice Gerlach; ASME President Dr Rachael Dwyer; AYO Music in Me Director Bernie Heard; ASP President and Music in Me Advisory Group member Andy Mison, and partners including teachers, academics, principals and music program providers. Together they outlined the research base, classroom experience and system-level barriers shaping music education in Australian primary schools.
Why music education should be Australia’s next national priority
More than thirty years of neuroscience research, supported by a longer lineage of social science findings, demonstrates that structured music learning strengthens the same neural networks children use to learn to read, write and reason mathematically.
“If music education were adopted as the next national priority, it would function as a strategic multiplier — amplifying gains in literacy and numeracy, supporting wellbeing and belonging, improving attendance, and strengthening the pedagogical capacity of the teaching workforce.”
Dr Anita Collins, Senior Advisor, Music Education: Right from the Start
The meeting highlighted measurable cognitive, academic and social outcomes from sequential, skills-based music learning, including a 15 per cent improvement in phonological awareness, a 20 per cent lift in verbal IQ, a 24 per cent gain in mathematical understanding and a 110 per cent improvement in maths outcomes for students from low socio-economic backgrounds (Baker, Hallam & Rogers, 2023; Moreno et al., 2011). In the largest population study of its kind, Canadian students who participated in school music finished Year 12 at least one year ahead of their peers in English, Maths and Science (Guhn, Emerson & Gouzouasis, 2020).
Benefits extend beyond academic attainment. The evidence links music learning to stronger self-regulation, working memory, empathy, cooperation and a measurable increase in students’ sense of connectedness at school — outcomes that translate directly into improved attendance, behaviour and belonging. Importantly, these gains are observed across all learners, including students from low-SES backgrounds, EAL/D learners and students with diverse learning needs.
A lever for teacher practice, not only student outcomes
The delegation was clear that music education is as much a teacher practice reform as it is a student outcomes reform. Dr Collins noted that many Australian primary teachers report feeling under-prepared to deliver music education at the level required for these benefits to be realised, reflecting a gradual thinning of practical music pedagogy in generalist teacher preparation over successive decades.
Investment in music education rebuilds highly transferable teaching capabilities: non-verbal communication, rhythm-based behaviour management, structured transitions, active listening, precise modelling and responsive adjustment in real time. These are the instructional skills that lift teaching quality across every subject area — not only music.
Federal leadership to amplify state momentum
The delegation made the case that federal leadership can now amplify significant state-level momentum: a 10-year Music Education Plan under development in New South Wales, South Australia half way through implementing its 10-year Music Education Strategy, and Victoria convening a cross-portfolio working group jointly backed by its education and creative industries ministers. A federal signal, the delegation argued, would strengthen teaching quality in public primary schools and expand equitable access for every child, regardless of postcode.
“This briefing reflects a sector speaking with one voice. For our teachers, mentors and school leaders, the evidence is unequivocal — quality music education is a strategic lever for equity and for learning. Music in Me is proud to stand alongside colleagues across the country to ensure every Australian child can access its benefits.”
Bernie Heard, Director, AYO Music in Me
What this means for the Music in Me community
For our teachers, mentors, school leaders, industry contacts, funders and supporters, the briefing with Minister Clare is a meaningful marker of progress. It signals growing national interest to embed music education as a core component of a well-rounded Australian primary education — and it affirms the critical role AYO Music in Me plays in building and sustaining the specialist and generalist teaching workforce that makes it possible. We extend our thanks to Minister Clare for his engagement, and to Ms Templeman for her longstanding championing of arts education. We look forward to continuing the conversation as a federal contribution to national music education reform takes shape.
Read the Music Education: Right from the Start update at musiceducation.com.au/news/federal-education-minister-jason-clare-meets-music-education-initiative.