Lead Mentor

Inspired by Richard Gill and driven by a passion for providing quality music education to all children, Danielle has taught and led music programs as a music teacher for 25 years, spanning from Pre-School to HSC levels.

She has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Newcastle and has held positions at state, systemic and independent education institutions. Being part of Music in Me since 2016, she considers herself fortunate, recognising its immeasurable impact on both her professional and personal growth.

Danielle is a strong advocate for learning through play and believes that the teaching and learning of music should be active, experiential, and sequential; supported by many experiences of listening, playing, moving and music making. She believes that exceptional musical experiences can be created from even the simplest of resources. With our voices, our bodies and our imaginations, the possibilities are endless!

As a Music Teacher, Danielle has nurtured children’s musical experiences from early stages and has experienced first-hand the far-reaching impact of quality music education. As soon as she was aware of Music in Me she eagerly joined the program to guide and nurture generalist classroom teachers in effectively teaching music to their students.

Danielle appreciates the Music in Me program for its possibilities and the visible and immediate impact it has on students, teachers, and mentors alike. The program allows teachers to be mentored in their own communities, fostering collaborative learning, teaching, and growth.  It empowers teachers to enhance their confidence and skills in a collegial and accessible way, and the impact is immense. Teacher confidence grows, communities embrace music, and students shine.

There are many stories that Danielle could share, but the most memorable would be of one particular student, who was in the class of the first teacher she mentored. This Year 1 student had selective mutism, and was unresponsive and unwilling to participate in any activities despite efforts from their class teacher throughout the year. Danielle began the program with the student’s class teacher, and the student started to respond through movement and progressed to using body percussion and instruments. By the end of the 10 weeks, they were singing, playing, moving, creating, and laughing along with their friends in class!