Building Inclusive, Student-Led Music Pathways Through Musical Futures
Located in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, Monbulk College has developed a music programme that is both expansive in scope and deeply connected to its community. Led by Instrumental Music and Performance Leader Roz Wilson, and Arts Coordinator Lisa Baird, the programme reflects a shared commitment to inclusive, practical music-making and sustained student engagement.
At Monbulk College, music is embedded as a lived practice rather than a peripheral subject.
Over one hundred students participate in instrumental lessons and ensembles, forming a strong performance culture across the school. Classroom music is compulsory in Year 7, with three hours per week dedicated to hands-on learning. This foundation continues into Years 9 and 10, where music is offered as a semester-length elective, supported by generous timetabling that allows students to rehearse, create, and perform meaningfully.
Senior pathways are well established. The school has offered VCE Music Performance for many years and has successfully run VCE VET Music for the past four years, providing clear progression for students who wish to pursue music beyond the classroom.
Musical Futures International resources and pedagogy sit at the heart of the programme. From early secondary years, students are immersed in performance and creation through practical, ensemble-based learning with accessible entry points for all abilities. Rather than reserving authentic music-making for advanced students, Monbulk College prioritises “doing music” from the outset. Since strengthening its focus on Musical Futures, the school has seen a notable increase in student uptake of music electives, with 2026 marking the first time in many years that two classes will run at both Year 9 and Year 10.
The impact of this approach extends beyond the timetable.
Over the past three years, the music department has created and successfully run the Hilltop Music Festival, a community event set in the surrounding Dandenong Ranges.
The festival brings together live music, local food, art, and community connection, showcasing both emerging and established local artists. It has become a significant fundraiser for the Monbulk College Music Department, supporting music education, arts projects, and First Nations education initiatives.
In 2025, funds raised are being directed towards a school-based music production programme, enabling students to record, produce, and distribute their own original compositions.
Hilltop reflects the same values that underpin the classroom programme: community, sustainability, inclusion, and student capability. It exists largely because of the standard of musicianship students develop through consistent Musical Futures practice in lessons and rehearsals.
At Monbulk College, Musical Futures is not an add-on or a set of activities. It is a shared approach that supports student agency, creative risk-taking, and meaningful musical outcomes in the classroom, on stage, and within the wider community.