‘It doesn’t matter where you come from’: regional youth orchestras help fight music education inequality

Thu, 9 May 2024 12:20:16 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/it-doesnt-matter-where-you-come-from-regional-youth-orchestras-help-fight-music-education-inequality-223448>

"The pursuit of the dream of classical music is not an equal playing field.

My recent study looked at the inequalities rural and regional young classical
musicians face, which are unknown to their city-based counterparts.

There are systemic music inequalities in Australia based on where you live and
where you go to school. Inner-city, private school kids are often the most
likely to access music education. Kids living in rural areas are the least
likely to have music opportunities.

Music inequality also exists between states. Queensland has had a long
tradition of offering accessible instrumental music lessons and ensembles, but
most other states fall short. Many children cannot access instrumental music
education.

Rural and regional kids face multiple layers of disadvantage. These include the
lack of specialist teachers, resources and opportunities, and the time and
expense of travelling long distances for music camps and auditions.

These challenges compound and these students may be less likely to go on to
tertiary education and careers in classical music.

To support young people’s musical aspirations, we need to understand how
location and disadvantage can create music inequalities."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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