Rosalie Scott

2022 Award Recipient for Excellence in Australian Kodály-inspired Music Education: Innovation

Nominated by Hayley Burns

Response to Selection Criteria
Rosalie Scott is currently teaching in regional Western Australia at John Paul College and the International School of Music in Kalgoorlie. Her work as a classroom music teacher and vocal tutor sees her engage with children in the community from 3 years of age through to Year 12 students as well as adults. Prior to her recent move to regional education at the beginning of 2021, Rosalie worked as a classroom music teacher and voice tutor at Hale School, an Independent Anglican school for boys in Wembley Downs. Rosalie has served on the Kodály WA Branch Committee since its inception as a committee member, Secretary, Treasurer, President and most recently the Vice President and holds the Australian Kodály Certificate in Secondary Music Education with accreditation to Level 3 in Primary Education.

1. Demonstrated personal teaching and musical excellence
Rosalie first engaged in Kodály-based music education as a graduate teacher in her first teaching post at John XXII College. She used her new-found passion for Kodály’s Philosophy to create a Year 8-10 curriculum for the College and when Year 7 moved into High School in Western Australia, Rosalie innovated new programs to immerse these young students in Kodály-based learning alongside music technology and instrumental study. A move to Prendiville Catholic College in 2013 saw Rosalie adapt her programs to suit this College’s one-to-one iPad program and modern flexible seating classrooms. Throughout her teaching career, Rosalie has shown a passion for innovating ways to embrace Kodály-inspired education alongside the strengths and practices of the schools she has worked at.

2. Demonstrated contribution of work to Australian Kodály-inspired music education
During her service at Hale School, Rosalie pioneered the ‘Sing2Learn’ program in the Hale Junior School. This innovative program, launched in 2015, was designed to encourage generalist classroom teachers to engage in music-making with their classes with specific literacy, numeracy, brain and social development outcomes in mind. What initially began as a combined before-school class for Years 1-3 students quickly moved into the individual classroom setting as the classroom teachers noticed the value of the work the students were engaging in. Many students skipped for the first time, or pencil rolled in a straight line for the first time and those who previously refused to engage in group work, held hands and played a game together. The engagement of the students in the program was tangible and many of the classroom teachers began to explore ways to incorporate music-based play into their curriculum. With Rosalie’s extensive knowledge of repertoire and the classroom teachers as curriculum experts, innovative links were made that saw singing games used to teach protective behaviours, finger-plays as readiness for touch typing and songs implemented to improve transitions and assist in classroom management. As the students grew, so did the program and at its peak all students in Hale Junior School from Years 1-6 were engaging in the Sing2Learn program through specialist-driven sessions and classroom teacher inspired musical moments.

3. Demonstrated impact of work on Australian Kodály-inspired music education
As a founding member of the Kodály WA Branch Committee, Rosalie has been instrumental in advocating Kodály-inspired music education in Western Australia. As a part of this work Rosalie assisted in bringing the first Australian Kodály Certificate training to Western Australia and was Branch president for the first National Kodály Conference held in Perth in 2018. She continues to lead the organization with her innovative ideas to inspire members and the wider music community to be better educators.

Through her work as an accredited lecturer for the Australian Kodály Certificate, Rosalie has shared her ideas and experience with numerous cohorts of teachers not only in WA but also as an AKC lecturer in Brisbane and South Australia.

4. Potential model for others
Rosalie is an exceptional teacher. The way she can differentiate in the classroom and connect Kodály-inspired learning to motivate her students and adult learners to engage and develop as musicians is amazing. Rosalie is a highly respected and sought-after presenter, sharing her ideas regularly at state workshops, national conferences, online presentations and internationally at the International Kodály Symposium in Malaysia in 2019. She is a passionate, caring and tremendously inspiring educator who is committed to innovating with Kodály-based music education now and into the future.