Teacher Professional Development Day (Victoria)

Posted by APATA Published By Song Makers | Jul 21, 2024

SongMakers and Ableton are bringing you a unique Professional Development Day for music teachers around Victoria, hosted at The Channel.

The day will be split into two workshops where teachers can develop their understanding and skills of songwriting and music making with some of the SongMakers mentors and the Ableton Education team.

The SongMakers mentors will guide teachers through a typical SongMakers workshop, equipping them to seamlessly incorporate similar lessons into their classrooms through writing techniques and exercises. The Ableton workshop will introduce teachers to some of Ableton Live’s music-making workflow, and explore some techniques for starting students creating original music.

These sessions not only enhance the professional development of Victorian teachers but also provide a unique opportunity to meet, network, and collaborate. Additionally, teachers gain access to industry professionals, elevating their understanding and connections within the music industry.

This Professional Development Day is free for Victorian music school teachers to attend but you must register.

SongMakers & Ableton Teacher Professional Development Friday 30 August
The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne
9am-3:30pm (catering provided)

To Register or Connect with the team at SongMakers – CLICK HERE

About SongMakers

The team at SongMakers link Australia’s internationally successful songwriters and producers, teachers, young people and leading researchers in shared creativity – that’s a fresh approach to school/industry partnerships.

Through mentoring by industry professionals, the program uses the creation of students’ original work as a springboard to explore issues around the cultural industries – like the importance of being enterprising, collaborative, persistent and resilient.

SongMakers support practical contemporary music education in schools, so that, together, they can build a stronger songwriting culture in Australia and introduce more young people to global opportunities. At the same time, team SongMakers help build young people’s work-ready skills that transfer to any industry, not just music.

How They Work

They match schools with Australia’s top songwriters and producers who directly mentor students to create and record original songs in an intensive workshop environment. Typically, they work over two consecutive school days, with preparatory and follow-up activities for extra support.

2020 brought a COVID pivot which saw them launch SongMakers in virtual mode, bringing mentors into classrooms via video conference. Both the virtual and in-person delivery modes give students an inside look at industry co-writing sessions. As collaborators with some of the biggest names in music, students learn the elements of team writing, arranging, demoing and showcasing new music. They build the confidence to find their ‘writer’s voice’.

SongMakers bring music students together from neighbouring schools to model the importance of real-world networking and collaboration. This cross-school collaboration is otherwise rare in Australia, delivering learning opportunities and access to industry which are not otherwise available to schools, particularly those in regional areas.

Through the in-school workshops and a dedicated program of professional development SongMakers connect teachers with the industry and help keep their skills up to date too. Gender equity across their workshops makes Song Makers one of Australia’s most successful interventions for engaging young women in the music industry – an otherwise under-represented group outside of this program.

Working Safely

Song Makers follow all protocols around working with children and vulnerable young people, in person and in virtual mode, guided by APRA AMCOS’ Child Safe Policy.