About us
We believe that music makes the world a better place
At South West Music, our vision is to inspire and enrich lives through music. Our purpose is to provide leadership, resources and expertise to ensure that every person has the opportunity to make, learn and appreciate music.
Our passion for music is born out of a commitment to the many benefits music brings to all members of our community and the community as a whole. We understand music is an essential part of a vibrant community and why it deserves to be elevated and recognised for its social and emotional value and ability to bring people together in a positive way.
We want to inspire such passion in others, passion that stays with them for the rest of their life. We want parents to sing and enjoy it, children to be playing and striving to improve, talent to be recognised and nurtured, audiences moved, teachers committed, schools engaged and music created.
South West Music is a member of the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums
We receive funding from the NSW Government Regional Conservatorium Grants Program as a Tier 4 Conservatorium.
Annual Report
To find out more about our recent activities, please download our 2020-2021 Annual Report
Where we teach
South West Music is based in Deniliquin and teaches students across south-west New South Wales.
Each year our teachers travel around 70,000kms across a region of around 85,000 square kilometers to bring music to hundreds of students.
We provide individual tuition and classroom programs in 27 rural and remote schools. Lessons are delivered through outreach and video conferencing.
The Conservatorium is located in heritage building in Deniliquin's CBD. The space has dedicated teaching studios and performance spaces.
We provide adults and children with the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of musical instruments.
Our video conferencing capability enables collaboration with other conservatoriums and the provision of local tuition for the broadest range of instruments.
Our History
South West Music acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging, of the Wamba Wamba Perrepa Perrepa country on which we work and live.
We began in in Deniliquin in the early 1980s, with funding from the Australia Council, Arts Council of NSW and the Ministry for the Arts. Surveys of local school students were carried out to determine the demand for instrumental tuition. Students from the Victorian College of Arts were contracted to travel to Deniliquin and Finley, in a hire car, on a fortnightly basis and they were billeted with local families. They were young, inspiring, enthusiastic musicians and in no time at all they attracted a large number of students eager to learn strings, woodwind and brass instruments.
As the Instrumental Tuition Program grew and funding became available we employed a Director to promote music education in our region. Students in outlying areas including Hay, Barham, Jerilderie, Balranald, Coleambally along with Finley and Deniliquin were provided with lessons in a range of instruments. This led to a number of active ensembles: the Deniliquin Community Orchestra conducted by Ian Bathgate; Junior Strings; Senior Strings better known as “Highly Strung”; Junior Band; and a Regional Orchestra which performed at the Christmas Concert each year.
South West Music has been able to attract many talented musicians in the role of Director, including Alfred Hornung who went on to play with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Eugenie Teychenne who is a highly regarded violin teacher in Melbourne and Jenny Kimber who continues to teach piano in the Newcastle region.
In 2005 South West Music became a Regional Conservatorium and in 2010 it entered into a Triennial funding agreement with the NSW Department of Education.
Live Music History
The Concert Series was created to include the wider community in South West Music's musical endeavours.
The first South West Music Concert Series was launched in 1995 at the Deniliquin Town Hall.
Since it was first launched, the Concert Series has welcomed musicians from all over the world to Deniliquin and surrounds. The local community has enjoyed an amazing variety of musical styles and instruments including cabaret, jazz, classical, celtic, baroque, vocals, strings, big bands, woodwind, harpsichord, harp, piano and percussion. There has always been a desire to surprise the audience with some unusual and memorable venues such as barns, woolsheds, homesteads and gardens.
Since its inception, the Concert Series has been coordinated by a volunteer committee. They have generosly welcomed and entertained artsts and guests and ensured every event has been a memorable success.
The Concert Series would not be possible without funding from the NSW Government and the ongoing support of local partners and sponsors.