Two public school teachers from NSW are among the four nominations in the national 2020 ARIA Music Teacher Award.
The Department of Education said the two teachers had proven they were rock stars when it came to teaching music.
The Department said the nominees were Thomas Fienberg (pictured right), from Evans High School in Blacktown, and Sarah Donnelley (pictured left), from Wilcannia Central School in north-western NSW.
Secretary of the Department, Mark Scott congratulated Ms Donnelley and Dr Fienberg on their success and urged their school communities to support them by participating in the popular vote.
“Both teachers have shown a strong commitment in using music to connect our Aboriginal students to their culture and fostering a sense of identity and belonging,” Mr Scott said.
“The impact of that can be seen at both schools where the music programs play a key role in helping students form a positive connection with their schools and their education,” he said.
Mr Scott said Dr Fienberg oversaw the Solid Ground program at Evans High School that encouraged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to explore their culture through music.
He said Ms Donnelley’s work had come to prominence after a video Wilcannia Central School produced during COVID-19 showed her students singing along to Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody’s song, From Little Things, Big Things Grow.
Further information about the nominees, as well as how to vote for them, can be accessed on the ARIA website at this PS News link.
