University of Melbourne and Australian Chamber Orchestra partnership renewal spotlights the value of music and education at every level

University of Melbourne students and staff, and Victorian primary school students, will be among the key beneficiaries of a seven-year extension to the University’s exclusive partnership with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). The two-part partnership renewal will launch in 2025 — the ACO’s milestone 50th anniversary year.

Combining the world-renowned musical expertise and virtuosity of the ACO with the educational excellence, reach and convening power of the University, the partnership will facilitate unparalleled access to music performance training, education, and research opportunities for the University community. It celebrates, renews, and extends the current five-year partnership (2020-2024), by expanding the professional training benefits for students in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, as well as wider interactions and benefits for the broader University community. It will also fund the establishment of the acclaimed ACO Foundations program in Victoria in a soon-to-be selected Melbourne primary school.

Over seven years from 2025 to 2031, bachelor, honours, masters and doctoral students in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music will benefit from two intensive ensemble training and side-by-side experiences with the elite ACO musicians each year, as well as masterclasses and professional development workshops. ACO artists will also be showcased in concerts at the Conservatorium’s Hanson Dyer Recital Hall. Opportunities for additional interactions and research projects are foreseen within the partnership.

The establishment of a Victorian ACO Foundations program is a new component of the University partnership. It is a one-of-a-kind tailored, intensive music education program proven to positively impact the cognitive, emotional and behavioral development of primary school-aged children. Based on research that has determined that playing a musical instrument can make permanent beneficial changes to the structure and functioning of the brain, the ACO Foundations program provides students enrolled in low Socio-Economic Status (SES) schools with free music and instrumental lessons, integrated within the classroom setting. The five-year pilot Victorian program will be delivered by the ACO and modelled on its highly successful multi-year program run at St Marys North Public School in Western Sydney.

“The ACO partnership renewal, generously supported by the Sidney Myer University Trust, ensures our continued investment in the life-changing potential of music education,” said University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Maskell.

“My own life trajectory was transformed by music education from an early age. I learned several woodwind instruments then went on to play in orchestras and bands ranging from classical to rock. These experiences led to enriching, formative opportunities that would otherwise have been out of reach.”

By pairing the university training program with the new ACO Foundations program in a Melbourne primary school, the ACO and University of Melbourne education partnership harnesses mutual commitment to educational impact in a multifaceted strategy.

“Our Conservatorium students will grow from strength-to-strength through exceptional opportunities that foster their career pathways by learning from and performing alongside the national orchestra’s musicians.  And the launch of the ACO Foundations program in Victoria will bring the joy and focus of music making to a new generation of children, and also pave the way for developing wider access to music in elementary schools by facilitating new teacher training and education research collaborations by music education experts in the  Faculty of Fine Arts and Music and the Faculty of Education,” said Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Director, Professor Richard Kurth.

ACO Managing Director Richard Evans said the partnership renewal builds on the mutually rewarding collaborations of the past five years and paves the way for critically important developments in music education through enhanced training, research and modelling.

“The ACO is delighted to renew its extraordinarily successful partnership with the University of Melbourne,” said Evans. “Over the past five years the ACO has been honoured to contribute to the musical education and training of the string students enrolled in the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, as well as work alongside the University’s world-class music and education researchers. We very much look forward to continuing to play a role in developing the next generation of Australia’s professional string players through this partnership.

“In addition to this, we are thrilled to be working with the University to bring our ACO Foundations program to Victorian primary school students. Learning a musical instrument from a young age has been proven to have deep and far-reaching benefits, and we are thrilled that the University has made such an important commitment in changing the lives of young Victorians — particularly those who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to receive a quality music education.”

ACO Foundations was developed to ensure students enrolled in low Socio-Economic Status (SES) schools receive the benefits of a high-quality music education. It involves students in Years 1-3 each receiving a violin or cello along with weekly lessons with a specialist instrumental teacher, daily group practice sessions with their classroom teacher, and ensemble participation and performance opportunities.