1 2 CONTENTS Contents 2 NECOM by Numbers 3 Chairperson’s Report 4 NECOM Director’s Report for 2016 6 Instrument Infographic 8 Vision and Mission 10 Snapshot 11 Graphs 12 School Curriculum Support 15 NECOM Campus Programs 20 Special Projects 30 Affiliated Partners 39 NECOM Music Educator Members 40 Donors and Supporters 42 NECOM Board & Staff 43 3 3 NECOM BY NUMBERS 4 Chairperson’s Report It is with pride and pleasure that I write the 2016 chairperson’s report for NECOM. I feel comfortable being proud of an organisation that has been able to achieve so much during the course of the year. New England Sings!, concerts and performances from the very young to the mature, eisteddfod successes, AMEB achievements, motivated and dedicated admin and teaching staff, the capabilities of Director Susanne James and a dynamic board were hallmarks of those achievements. But of course the measure of an organisation such as NECOM should not be based on its achievements and successes alone. Behind those successes and achievements lies hours upon hours of work (sheer hard work mostly), rehearsals, practice, thought and energy by staff, teachers and students and importantly those that care and encourage them. So while NECOM and the community it serves can be proud that it has achieved its targets and goals and continued to meet its vision and mission, it has not rested on its laurels. NECOM aims to be a music conservatorium that is focused, sustainable, forward-thinking and caring. NECOM has been able to achieve those aims: through its programs of inclusiveness such as the Side by Side choir and its music therapy program; by developing music programs that cater for the very young, school students and music teachers; by giving musicians of all ages and stages the opportunity to perform before an uncritical (and usually adoring) audience; by encouraging its teachers to develop their skills and knowledge; by offering concerts and performances to the New England region; by ensuring that music can be heard and appreciated in the most isolated of our communities; and by developing links and associations with third parties such as Musica Viva and the University of New England. 5 My personal thanks are extended to Susanne James for her leadership of NECOM during 2016 and the amazing staff she directed. My sincere thanks are extended to the board of NECOM who as volunteers give of their time and expertise to develop a strategy and policies that drive NECOM into the future. A special thank you to the NECOM students and their parents and carers without whom there would be no NECOM. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said that “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” At NECOM I hope that this is true for the music that we make within the New England community and the myriad of lives that we touch through our music programs, concerts and performances. Greg Moin NECOM Board Chair 6 NECOM Director’s Report for 2016 Having celebrated our 10th anniversary only a few years ago, NECOM continues to reach further and deepen its educational footprint across New South Wales, despite being one of the youngest Conservatoria in the State. I believe the reputation our organization has earned is due to the earnest commitment to schools and the wider community. The structure of Regional Conservatoria is that they are set up as external schools of music, in as much as they are not (usually) attached to any one school or University. We do, of course, have affiliations with many local educational and arts groups, but therein lies the danger of allowing campuses like ours to become insular, focusing only the core business of delivering music tuition. This is, nevertheless, important (of course) and we achieve this role of providing first- class music education extremely well; for some time now, NECOM has operated at the highest tier, based on the Department of Education’s measure of how many teaching hours are delivered annually. But how would that stack up on a community level? If teaching individual and small-group lessons was all we did, then we would not be serving our region to the best of our capacity. New England is renowned for its support of the arts and cultural endeavours, and that support must be returned in kind through concerts, workshops, masterclasses, and programs that assist the very youngest and oldest members of our community, particularly those with special needs. Nestled amongst all of those activities remains a central desire to impart the highest quality musical experiences upon all those with whom we have a connection. In taking a virtual walk back through the calendar year of 2016, it becomes evident that this musical connection is both significant and far-reaching, thereby bolstering our bold claims to truly be a “conservatorium without walls”. Delivering outstanding musical education programs to schools remains paramount in our planning, and in 2016 NECOM built upon its already-successful “Year 10 Music Day” and “HSC Workshop” formats. “Chamber Music in Schools” continues to grow in both reputation and coverage, with this unique project (from the incredible musical mind of Deidre Rickards) having now been presented to more than 16,000 students within a decade. Music therapy continues to be an integral part of our organization, and Hannah Rowland was able to expand the “Transition to School” and “Growing Through Song” programs to incorporate three more educational centres. In 2017, NECOM is looking to maintain its connections with Special Needs groups such as “The Jacaranda Club” and the “Stroke Recovery Club”. The Inverell campus was able to make significant inroads towards full autonomy, with the Conservatorium Support Group of Inverell able to administer their programs in their own right. We congratulate the members of the support group for their determination and dedication in delivering musical support for the region. 7 Of course, 2016 meant another incredible production of the nationally-recognised and award-winning New England Sings!, which was borne out of a desire to promote and celebrate Australian choral music. NECOM congratulates Corinne Arter and the huge team of teachers and assistants on yet another brilliant presentation. A read through of this Annual Report will better inform you of the incredible range of concerts, performances, workshops and masterclasses that were on offer throughout 2016, and here we pause to thank the groups with which we are so grateful to have partnerships and affiliations - long-standing organisations like the Musica Viva Committee and the Eisteddfod Committee, and such important groups like the Armidale Youth Orchestra and the Armidale Symphony Orchestra who provide an indelible service to this community. We acknowledge, also, the continued support of the University of New England, and thank them for the many years in which we have enjoyed a close association. In closing, I would like to draw attention to an award that epitomizes the level of musical education being delivered at NECOM, and supports public perception that we are one of the leading Conservatoria in the country. In 2016, the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) presented NECOM with a special “Certificate of Distinction” in recognition of the pre-eminent results in all AMEB examinations from Grade 7 to Licentiate. Maree Lucas, NSW State Manager, wrote, “As you are among the elite group of talented educators, we would like to recognize your teaching achievements with this new Certificate of Distinction”. As stated earlier in this report, the desire to impart the highest quality musical experiences possible is not restricted to external examinations. Instead, it permeates through all that we do here at NECOM. Russ Bauer NECOM Director 8 INSTRUMENTS TAUGHT AT NECOM - PART ONE BASSOON TENOR SAXOPHONE DOUBLE BASS VIOLA ALTO SAXOPHONE FLUTE CLARINET 9 INSTRUMENTS TAUGHT AT NECOM - PART TWO CELLO V VIOLIN 10 VISION NECOM’s vision is that a music education and performance tradition embedded into a regional community’s cultural life gives it unique cohesion, economic and social capacity. NECOM believes that all young people deserve the best opportunities in education to achieve their personal best in whatever path they choose to follow in life. There is irrefutable international and Australian research proving the significant and far-reaching benefits that music has on a child’s education in the following areas: Learning Outcomes Literacy and numeracy, concentration and memory, school engagement and attendance Personal Development Self-esteem, confidence, resilience and self- directed learning Social Outcomes Communication skills, co- operation and teamwork MISSION STATEMENT NECOM will provide quality music education through innovative practices that are inclusive, unique and diverse. We believe that every individual has the right to experience and celebrate the joy of music. NECOM seeks to make music an integral part of peoples’ lives. We will 11 achieve this through the development of strong community partnerships at local, regional, national and global levels. 11 SNAPSHOT A summary of 2016 activities and key performance measures across Semester 1 & 2: Individual one-on-one lessons / tuition 8308 Number of hours of early childhood classes delivered 440 Total hours of small-to-large ensemble reherarsals 2227 Hours of workshops facilitated by recognised experts 996 Number of performances presented by Conservatorium staff 41 Number of student performances facilitated