AUSTRALIA's first music-focused primary school has hit a high note, ticking off its first week of classes in Muswellbrook with its 13 foundation students.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Principal of the Richard Gill School, Chris English, said the school was cementing routines after a successful start.
"It was a really lovely thing to just start this relationship with the children and their new teacher and myself and start a music lesson with them [on day one], it was really fitting to commence their education," he said.
"We've just been settling in and finding our routines and learning more about the children and what makes them tick."
The Newcastle Herald has previously reported conductor and music education advocate Richard Gill AO was heavily involved before his October 2018 death in the shaping of the school, which is located in the former Muswellbrook Shire Council administration centre and being renovated in stages.
Every morning Mr English, a specialist music teacher, leads a 30 minute music and movement class, which he said was the school's focus but didn't take away from other learning areas.
"Every school has flexibility in their curriculum to prioritise different things and it just means we're providing most of our provision of additional things towards music and also some additional STEM [science, technology, engineering and maths]," he said.
"We're also looking for musical opportunities across all the KLAs [key learning areas] to integrate music into learning activities in other subject areas and that can really help engage the brain, and get the children thinking and stimulating all parts of the brain while they're learning.
"But it's certainly not in place of anything else, we still have guidelines to follow from NESA [the NSW Education Standards Authority] and we need to ensure we still deliver the minimum amount of time in all other subject areas."
The school has eight students in kindergarten and five in year one. He said some were intrinsically musical and had been exposed to music, while other families were drawn to the school's focus on STEM or its uniqueness.
He said the school wasn't preparing students solely for performing arts careers.
"It may very well be an outcome or a consequence of what we do, but certainly not the sole goal of the education at the school," he said.
"It's just to develop creative thinkers and flexible agile learners that know how to learn and can face the challenges that life will throw at them in the future.
We just firmly believe that a musical education really develops so many desirable traits and characteristics in young people, discipline and focus... and the ability to overcome and be resilient, grow some fine motor skills, interpret another language essentially... it's like a whole brain workout when you perform and practice and play music, especially with others."
Mr English said fees at the independent but not for profit school were just over $70 a week.
Three students have received scholarships.
He said the school would likely run at a loss for three years, but enrolment fees and per-student government funding would cover operational costs long term.
IN THE NEWS:
For faster access to the latest Newcastle news download our NEWCASTLE HERALD APP and sign up for breaking news, sport and what's on sent directly to your email.