Another first for NECOM! Starting in Term 3, NECOM and St Joseph’s Primary School in Mungindi joined together to deliver online music lessons into the classroom via zoom. The program was such a popular success that it has now been extended into Term 4.
Mungindi is a small regional town straddling the NSW and Qld borders with a population of less than 800 and an average of 40 students in St Josephs’ School annually. Due to its isolation, schools in Mungindi are remote and rarely have access to classroom music taught by music specialists as schools in larger regional centres enjoy.
This initiative to expand NECOM’s services into more remote schools is very exciting as it means music can be part of the curriculum in many more schools and shared with hundreds of children and teachers.
Delivered by NECOM’s music specialist and choral conductor Nicole Mackson, the program includes two weekly online classes with a face-to-face visit by Nicole at least once a term to ensure rapport and connection with the children who, after the lockdown in Term 2, are now more comfortable with the new online learning environment. In Term 4 Nicole will also be rehearsing the school musical with the children via zoom – a great musical outcome for the school and the community.