Jane Nicholas
PEAK Presenter
Based in:
Perth, WA, AustraliaJane’s passion is to embed cultural diversity through music education, particularly First Nations Australian cultures. This is important to her, to build children’s personal and cultural identities and understandings. Her work has seen her present workshops here in WA, nationally and internationally. Jane has also been recognised with many awards including a nomination for ARIA Music Teacher of the Year.
She is currently a music teacher at Baldivis Gardens Primary School, but has taught in early childhood, primary, secondary contexts, as well as the community arts spaces. She has also worked developing and implementing a variety of Community Arts programs particularly for people with disabilities.
PEAK Elective Session | Thursday, 9th January 2025 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Highs, Lows and In Between: Tree-ful Ways of Connecting with Melodic Shapes
In a shopping centre carpark in the south eastern Perth suburb of Armadale there is a Jarrah tree that is estimated to be between 400 and 800 years old. It is a marvel. This old beauty has sprouted, thrived and grown through many changes on this land, including being a play area for the students of the ‘old’ Armadale Primary School. This tree, and other endemic species have inspired different music educational experiences in this workshop. Trees are so beautiful and important. Their grandeur. Their diversity. Their fragility. Their ability to support atmospheric, geological, geographical and biological systems is mind blowing. Shape, tree shape as well as melodic shape, is explored through movement, reflection, improvisation, artistry, and composition activities in this workshop that preferences First Nations Australians knowledges and voices. In this playful workshop Jane will highlight ‘safe public knowledge’ that can be shared by non-Aboriginal teachers. She also will reinforce protocols that need to be observed when using First Nations people’s knowledges and artworks.