ARIA are excited to announce the return of The ARIA Music Teacher Award for 2020.
This special ARIA Award, launched in partnership with The Song Room in 2017, recognises the incredible contribution of music teachers throughout Australia. It rewards teachers for their hard work, creativity and dedication to their students and wider community. By celebrating our amazing music teachers, it also helps to shine a light on the importance of music to education and student engagement.
Every year, ARIA asks the Australian public to nominate outstanding music teachers and receives submissions from all parts of the country, for teachers across every age group and wildly different circumstances. What remains consistent is the passion of the teachers, and how much music education enriches the lives of their students.
This year, perhaps more than any other, we are reminded of the fundamental importance of teachers as they adapt and adopt technology to keep working and connecting with their students. It has only served to underscore the importance of music education to our students’ development and well-being.
We are again inviting members of the public to tell us about an Australian music teacher that should be recognized as the ARIA Music Teacher award winner for 2020.
The award has been won in previous years by Antonio Chiappetta (2019, St Andrews College, Sydney, NSW), Scott Maxwell (2018, Grant High School, Mount Gambier, SA) and Renee McCarthy (2017, Woodcroft College, Adelaide SA).
2019 ARIA Music Award winner Antonio Chiappetta said:
Winning an ARIA Award is something I will never forget. The build up to the voting stages reassured me that my school community, family and friends really value what I bring to music education. The experience has changed my life, knowing how much music teachers are acknowledged in this award on national TV. Seeing how proud everybody was of me was humbling and emotional at times. There are so many passionate music educators in Australia with such diverse skill sets working in a number of different environments. 2019 was such a great career journey for me and I’ll be thrilled to pass the title on to the next ARIA Music Teacher Award winner.
Dan Rosen, CEO of ARIA, said:
The ARIA Music Teacher Award is a highlight of the ARIA Awards. It’s our chance to shine a light on the amazing work of music teachers all around Australia, from our inner cities to our most remote communities. We have had some incredible winners and nominees in previous years, and I can’t wait to discover the stories of this year’s entrants.
Alice Gerlach CEO of The Song Room, said:
Music education can be life changing for many children, especially the most vulnerable in our community. We know how important it can be in connecting children to learning, and how creativity can enrich their lives. We are proud to be partnering with ARIA again to be part of this award.
Entries are now open and a shortlist of nominees will be announced at the ARIA Season Launch in October. Each shortlisted ARIA nominated teacher will be partnered with one of the Artist Ambassadors who will connect with the school, help celebrate its success and tell its music teacher’s story. Previous ambassadors for the ARIA Music Teacher Award include Conrad Sewell, Emma Wiggle, Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Josh Pyke, Justine Clarke, Katie Noonan, Lior, Missy Higgins, Montaigne, Sheppard, and Thelma Plum.
A public and music industry voting process will then be conducted culminating in the announcement of the winner at the 2020 ARIA Awards in November.
To view guidelines and/or to nominate your favourite music educator, visit http://www.ariamusicteacheraward.com.au
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