26 July 2025
2025 Music in Me – The Joy of Teaching at Its Summit
Media and Communication Fellow, Elena Wittkuhn, recounts her first day as an intern with the AYO team – a whirlwind glimpse into life as an operations assistant at one of our most impactful events of the year.
Where great minds and passion meet, there is cause for a summit. This was abundantly clear to the 233 attendees, 20 presenters and 20 staff at this year’s 2025 Music in Me National Teachers’ Conference held by the glistening waters of Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney.
You would be forgiven for not believing that this event was only the second of its kind, after the first national conference in 2024. MIM National Manager, Bernie Heard, led the busy conference with demonstrable calm and enthusiasm, resulting in a smoothly run day filled with connection, inspiration, and, for many, collegial reunions. Founded by music education advocate Richard Gill AO ten years ago, Music in Me exists as a national support program for music teachers in Australia, delivering professional development events and resources to help bolster the accessibility and national standard of music education in the country. Music In Me exemplifies the AYO’s vision of music being an accessible, joyful, learnable and sharable outlet for all. Backed by the slogan “Every Teacher, Every Child” (literally – we had these words printed on the backs of our t-shirts), it was truly clear that for every smiling, learning, inspired teacher we saw that day, there would be at least one more smiling, learning, inspired child.
As an operations assistant for the day, my primary role was to manage one of the presentation rooms and greet and assist presenters and attendees. Being in one of the larger rooms, I had the privilege of sitting in on some of the most popularly attended sessions, including a performance-seminar with the Sydney Children’s Choir led by Lachlan Massey; a heartfelt session with Michelle Leonard (Moorambilla Voices), and not one, but two interactive demonstrations of Orff-Schulwerk technique led by expert teacher Dr Sue Lane. Sue and I developed a great rapport, bonding over our love of the Central Coast, where she is an active driving force in music education. I also enjoyed playing photographer for the day, doing my best to capture the palpable energy of the sessions. This was especially fun in Sue’s sessions, with her focus on embodied learning through Orff-Schulwerk pedagogy, the room filled with some sixty adult teachers dancing and giggling to Grieg.
Lachlan Massey’s workshop, “Singing is a Team Sport!” was equally joyful. Leading select junior students of the Sydney Childrens’ Choir in a semi-interactive performance, he demonstrated inventive skills in leading young voices with efficiency, creativity and fun. An entertaining example of his leadership was found in his original warm-up song for the choir, “I Am a Duck”, complete with dance moves and musical triggers. The song displayed how single sounds can be mentally and physically paired with stories or ‘characters’, helping young (or, indeed, any-aged) minds to make quicker connections between sounds, physical performance and emotional character. As many teachers are prone to note, this connectivity between the aural, physical, and character aspects of music is vital to an enhanced, embodied performance. Lachlan’s pedagogical concepts were fascinating, and it became abundantly clear how much the young singers enjoy working with him.
Other highlights of the day included two communal ‘Big Sings’ led by choral director Brett Weymark; performances by members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and a quartet from Sydney Youth Orchestras; and an engaging panel discussion on creative problem solving, facilitated by Genevieve Lang. Dr Rachael Jacobs led us in lively Bollywood dance, demonstrating the importance of connection through culture in the Music and the Arts in Diverse Australia workshop. According to the activist and dancer, when it comes to embracing multiculturalism in the classroom, “we have some catching up to do.” “We’re so lucky in Australia”, she beamed at us after her exhilarating performance with colleagues. “We are blessed with some of the most culturally diverse classrooms in the world. It’s our responsibility to make sure our profession reflects that wonderful diversity.”
The last session I had the privilege of attending was hosted by the inimitable Michelle Leonard OAM of Moorambilla Voices. Lively, down-to-earth and downright hilarious, Michelle attracted a few more attendees than officially registered – I get the feeling she, along with so many of the wonderful presenters that day, is something of a celebrity in the music teaching world. Her session was entitled 600 Sensational Seconds:
Practical ways to get 10 mins of music a day into your classroom. In a learning landscape that some educators may argue gets flooded with competing curriculum points – let alone in a society that doesn’t often value the arts at a default – this speedy, yet thorough approach to incidental music education feels important for us to harness now. “It takes twenty seconds”, she said, to win a child’s attention and help them understand musical concepts beyond words. She emphasised the importance of diversifying our teaching methods to suit all types of learning styles, suggesting ideas in mathematical, visual, language-based and physical frameworks. “It is our responsibility to make sure students know they can be creative.” Her insistent belief in childrens’ potential was truly inspiring, sparking a wave of smiles and nods throughout the room. It was a fitting way to end the day’s sessions, echoing the late Founder Richard Gill’s vision and rationale. “We teach music so that children can make their own music”, he had explained about the role of Music In Me. “We teach music because it acts in a unique way on the heart, mind, soul and spirit of the child, stimulating thought and imagination in very special ways.”
The day also coincided with the release of nine new songs in the ABC’s Let’s Sing!, a music educational program in co-collaboration with AYO’s Music In Me. New resources from the program were shared amongst educators, Let’s Sing! artist Justine Clarke dropped in to the Summit, and singers from the Sydney Childrens’ Choir gave a performance to highlight the program’s new developments.
Personally, the day came as a timely reminder for me, just before the return of the school teaching term, about the value and importance of looking after our teachers. Teaching has always, and will always be, an admirable profession – but we need community and support. While passion prevails for many, teachers across the board – in all fields, states and territories – are reporting unprecedented levels of stress, due to high workloads, difficult classroom behaviour and emotional fatigue. Seeing and meeting with all these educators who are passionate and energised enough to give up some of their school holiday time to learn more about how they can do better for their students, was humbling and heartwarming. It helped me to feel part of a vibrant national community, gave me perspective and reminded me of just how important and beloved our work is.
The Music In Me 2025 Summit was a truly beautiful day, not just for the fortunate sun that smiled at us through the harbourside windows of the pier, but also for the optimistic feelings of fun, warmth and camaraderie present. With participants leaving with renewed enthusiasm, new resources and, for many, new friends, the day served as a beautiful reminder that the only thing more important than teaching, is learning itself.
Elena Wittkuhn – 2025 Media and Communication Fellow