One of Alice Gerlach’s favourite memories from school was time spent in the art room: the atmosphere, the freedom, the smell of fresh oil paint and the rows of colourful butcher paper paintings drying around the room. It was about having the opportunity to be a bit more experimental, a bit more courageous and – although she couldn’t articulate this back then – a greater sense of wellbeing as a result.
Today, it brings her unending joy to be running The Song Room, an organisation that delivers quality arts programs of all disciplines to primary school students in metropolitan, regional and remote schools across Australia.
Celebrating 25 years this year, The Song Room has since its inception worked with 500,000 students and their teachers in disadvantaged communities, providing face-to-face and digital programs ranging from music to visual arts and media arts that have proven positive academic and social outcomes.
What began in 1999 as one-off opera incursions in Melbourne schools has now evolved into tailored arts learning programs embedded in schools’ schedules, often over multiple years, across six states and territories in metropolitan, regional and remote Australia.
“We could see quite quickly if we were able to work in partnership with schools providing them with teaching artists on a regular basis over longer period of time the impact would be enormous,” says Alice, who has been CEO since 2019 but with the organisation for nine years.
The Song Room’s arts education specialists work with the schools to establish the most appropriate and effective program for their school and in what form, from in-class programs where teaching artists bring their expertise into the classroom and work alongside the classroom teachers to professional learning, where teachers gain the confidence and skills to bring the arts into their everyday teaching practice; and digital arts education hub ARTS:LIVE providing hundreds of curriculum-aligned music and arts teaching resources and ready-to-use lessons.
One program running in the remote community of Bulham in central Arnhem Land has used song to help revive the local dalabon language. The program is community-run and led, in conjunction with a visiting Song Room teaching artist.
“One of the important players is local Elder Nate Miller. He wanted to bring back to community the dalabon language that was endangered as some of the key members of the community had died. We were able to introduce the young people at school to that language through The Song Room by singing the old songs and helping them write songs about their community today that were then translated that into dalabon and recorded,” Alice says. A skilled musician, Nate is now employed by The Song Room.
While we can all agree the arts are a lovely thing to include in children’s life, the cold hard statistics prove what a profound effect they in fact have. In 2011 The Song Room released an independent report, Bridging the Gap in School Achievement Through the Arts, compiled by leading educational researchers that surveyed children taking part in a weekly Song Room program over a one-year period.
The results proved overwhelmingly the positive impact quality, ongoing and sequential arts programs were having on the students. It found improved academic outcomes across subject areas including literacy and numeracy; a marked increase in attendance, with absenteeism reduced by up to 65 per cent; and significant improvements in children’s well-being, self-esteem and inter- and intra-personal skills.
Today the report is an often-quoted resource as proof of why the arts matter; alongside Alberts own independently commissioned report Music Education: Right from the Start, driven by our collective belief in the power of music to change lives.
“The programs we offer can have a positive impact on students’ well-being and their sense of belonging and connection to school life,” says Alice, who is an integral member of our Music Education: Right from the Start advisory panel.
“And we’re trying to work at the earliest intersection [kindergarten] so kids can connect to their school environment and feel that sense of belonging and opportunity to thrive in school from a very early age. Song Room programs are curriculum-aligned, but they’re also about getting out there and having a go, and I think that’s really important.”
In celebration of their 25th anniversary, The Song Room will on June 6 be running a giving day in which every dollar donated will be matched. Celebrations will continue throughout the year, culminating in a public gala performance in October, the organisation’s birthday.
As a proud supporter of The Song Room, Alberts philanthropic arm The Tony Foundation will be pledging $50,000, part of its multi-year funding commitment to the organisation, whose raison d’etre aligns well with the foundation’s purpose: to enable positive outcomes through music.
“The cost of living has gone up, the cost of doing business has gone up and multi-year funding is critical to us and there’s less around at the moment,” says Alice.
“The Tony Foundation are exceptional partners and great listeners who have been incredibly thoughtful with their approach to the partnership, and that means a great deal to us.”
