Video transcript
National Music Teacher Mentoring Program – Yandelora School

Jacqueline Lockyer

Music at Yandelora School is incredibly important. We, as a collective group, truly believe that a lot of our children can really sing through the arts. For us, when we see our children really excel in an area, it builds confidence in them, that they can excel in other areas as well. The National Music Teacher Mentoring Program has been important at Yandelora School. We value the opportunity for our teachers to access really high-quality mentoring, and to build their confidence to teach music across the school, in specific music lessons and in other KLAs where we embed music activities and practices into our teaching and learning.

Kiralee Strahle

I'm Kiralee Strahle. I am the project advisor for the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program, and also being involved as a mentor in the program. What I love most about the program is that it's really flexible and adaptable, and it's a really unique way to have some professional development brought into your school, where you're getting the face-to-face support with a experienced classroom music teacher who is an expert in their field, working alongside a classroom teacher. And when we've got two experts working together, then you get this beautiful, reciprocal relationship going on. One of the greatest benefits of the program is that it's really flexible and adaptable, and it can work really well in each school's unique context. Some of the mentoring sessions can be face-to-face, or they can be online, or they can be delivered in a hybrid situation, so that we can cater to all our teachers across New South Wales.

Joanna Archer

My name is Joanne, and I work in an SSP setting, School for Specific Purpose. And I have been doing music across the classes in our school. Even though I've been involved in music, I lacked confidence in what I was doing, that I was on the right path. And I craved to be able to talk to someone who had already done that journey and was able to share with me, from their experience, about the Department of Education's curriculum and how best I can use that to meet the needs of the students here. I've had so many questions that I thought were outside the box, but my mentor has worked with me to be able to address those questions. To get confidence in music has been one thing. To help me know I'm on the right path, keep going, but, yeah, just to have someone who's passionate about music instil that in me, and to keep going on that journey, has been wonderful.

Kiralee

Jo was already doing an amazing job. She just needed a cheerleader to come in and go, "You're doing great!" Just to give her that extra support and confidence. When teachers are confident in delivering music in their classroom, it's really the students that are benefiting.

Jacqueline

I would encourage anyone with a teacher who's interested and passionate to take this opportunity on because we can see really authentic music lessons being taught in the classroom. And Joanne now has the confidence, moving on, to ensure that her planning and her programming are really top-level, they're excellent, and that she can then assess those lessons. And we see that reflected in student reporting.

Joanna

For anyone considering doing the program, talk to your executive and principal. You won't regret it.