Ernabella School

Ernabella is a remote Aboriginal Community located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands in the northern part of South Australia. The Ernabella Anangu School is the largest school in the APY lands, consisting of approximately 150 students from Kindergarten to Year 12. There is a strong tradition of music in Ernabella dating back to the 1960s, when Gordon Inkatji founded the Ernabella Community Choir, giving the people a ‘voice’. This tradition of singing continued in 2003, when Sam Osbourne founded the School Choir, which has continued to develop to this day. In 2010 we founded the music program with the underlying philosophy of communication – working together to create music.

The Program

The classroom music program is divided into 3 main sections – Junior Primary, Primary and Secondary. Each year level develops their skills in the practice, theory, appreciation and creation of music. There is a blend of Western, cross-cultural and Anangu music in the curriculum.

1. Junior Primary

The students focus on a THEME in which all the music & associated activities are connected.

1. Primary

In the Primary program, the students develop the skills learnt in the Junior Primary years, while broadening their knowledge of music. The overall aim is to form a class ensemble where the students can develop the skills of working together, practicing, performing and recording.

1. Secondary

The focus of the Secondary program is performance, with all the associated knowledge required to play music. The aim is to bridge the gap between the classroom and the community

Ensembles

1. School Choir

• All students from Year 3 – Year 12 are involved
• Rehearsals: 2 x 45minute sessions
• Repertoire: English & Pitjantjatjara songs, music from other cultures, secular and Christian influences
• Recordings: 2 CDs
• Tours: the choir has performed in the community, in Alice Springs and Adelaide
• Achievement: won the open choral section at the Centralian Eisteddfods in Alice Springs, 2010
• The choir is in the final stages of selection for the 2011 Carols by Candlelight (Melbourne)

1. Junior Primary Choir

• All students from Kindergarten – Year 2 are involved
• Rehearsals: 1 x 45minute session
• Repertoire: children’s songs in English & Pitjantjatjara, with a particular focus on language acquisition
• The choir performs at various community events

Other activities

1. Music Outback

• ‘Music Outback’ supported in the song-writing, performance, dance & drumming programs

1. Drumbeat

• The most ‘at risk’ students are selected to be involved in this specialist drumming program, designed to help the students ‘heal’ through music

1. Dance

• The entire school learns a group dance which they perform to all the other schools in the APY lands

• Community members are welcome to play with students after hours to transfer their knowledge and skills
• Community members teach their culture through music
• Programs such as ‘drumbeat’ have been initiated to help troubled students express themselves and learn to work together
• Students have the opportunity to play and improvise their own music in their own time
• Each lesson is flexible, depending on the needs of the children on any given day

• The program has been carefully crafted to meet the social needs and interest of the students

• Drum circle, where the children work together to create music using percussion, allows them to express themselves
• Choir, where the children sing together in various styles and languages, helps them experience music and further develop their language skills
• Success is measured by the level of engagement and by the smiles of the children!
• Music bridges the gap between the school and the community and gives the children the opportunity to engage in team-work, practice and performance