Do you know an incredible music teacher who deserves to be recognised?
Nominations have recently opened for the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Awards 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, the fundamental importance of teachers has been brought to light, as they have adapted 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.
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).
"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 Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award winner," said 2019 Telstra ARIA Music Award winner Antonio Chiappetta.
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 Telstra 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 here.
