Andy Mison

About

Advisory Group Member

Andy Mison is an experienced leader with more than 3 decades in the arts and education. He currently serves as the President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA), the national peak body representing the professional interests of Australia’s public secondary principals and their school communities. He is also a Director of the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

With an extensive career spanning various educational settings across New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Territory, Andy has served as CEO of a large RTO, principal of a performing arts school, a split-campus high school, a large P-10 ‘super-school’, and a senior secondary college.

In addition to his school leadership positions, Andy has served as the Director of School Improvement in the ACT Education Directorate, where he played a crucial role in the rollout of remote learning and vaccination programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy has also contributed to the development of the Australian Curriculum in the arts, consulted on digital education for AITSIS, and in 2009 developed Australia’s first fully online primary school music course to support remote classroom teachers. He is proud to have worked with Richard Gill AO to establish the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program (now Music In Me) in the Northen Territory.

As a secondary music teacher, Andy has taught classroom, instrumental, choral and band music in NSW, the Northern Territory and the ACT. As the principal of the Northern Territory Music School from 2011-2016 he led the NT Combined Schools’ Performing Arts program including the Annual Beat Festival, programs for First Nations students including Garma Festival youth music programs and Music Camps. He also established the long-running VAMPtv program supporting arts education in remote and regional schools across the Northern Territory. A member of APRA for 30 years, Andy is a skilled multi-instrumental performer, composer and arranger, maintaining a parallel career as a touring and recording artist, while also creating and arranging works for student performance.

Driven by his passion for music and arts education, and a commitment to supporting the growth and development of all young Australians, Andy Mison continues to be a highly respected advocate and leader within the education sector.