As we near the end of 2025, I extend my warmest wishes on behalf of Kodály Australia for a positive and fulfilling year ahead.

Supporting our community is at the heart of our work, and this year our members have benefited from an extensive offering of professional learning activities, including:

• Over 30 face-to-face and online events hosted by our branches and chapters, featuring local, national and international presenters.

• Australian Kodály Certificate (AKC) courses delivered by Kodály NSW, Kodály Qld, Kodály SA, Kodály Vic, Kodály WA and the Cuskelly College of Music.

• Delivery of the Musical Foundations course by Kodály SA as part of the South Australian Music Education Strategy.

These events are opportunities for members of Kodaly Australia to learn, study and reflect on Kodály-inspired music education practice. I acknowledge the significant contribution of branch and chapter committees, who generously volunteer their time to facilitate these professional development opportunities for our community. Without these people, these opportunities would not exist for our community.

Recently, we also launched our refreshed Member Portal, giving all members access to an online repository of resources and professional learning. Our National Administrator, Margie Francis, has been instrumental in developing this portal – we thank you for this incredible work and appreciate all you do to manage our membership systems.

As a community, we congratulate and celebrate members who have been recognised for their achievements throughout 2025, including:

• Susie Fredline (Qld), who was awarded Honorary Life Membership of Kodály Australia.
• Dr James Cuskelly (Qld), who received the International Katalin Forrai Award
• Jenny Ferris (Vic) and Gemma Ryan (WA), who completed the Master of Arts in Kodály Music Pedagogy, and Peter Guy (NSW/Vic), who completed the Post-Master Course at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Hungary.

2025 also marked 30 years of Australian Kodály Certificate Courses, and we acknowledge:

• Members who have been awarded the Australian Kodály Certificate: Lucas Allerton (Primary), Angelique Both (Primary), Hannelie Conradie (Primary), Elizabeth Holbert (Early Childhood), Christine Shume (Primary), Grace Sun Wei Yi (Primary), Caroline Pigerre (Primary), Kylie Van Dijk (Primary), Elrika van der Merwe (Primary),
• Peter Guy (NSW/Vic), who became an accredited lecturer of the AKC.

Next year, we look forward to coming together as a national community for our Kodály Australia Conference ‘Sing, Move, Thrive’ held in Adelaide from 28 September to 1 October 2026. The call for presentations is open until 31 January, and I encourage all members to consider submitting a proposal.

Several other exciting professional development opportunities have been announced, with more to come in the new year. Please visit the Kodály Australia website regularly for the latest information about our events and AKC course offerings.

Finally, thank you sincerely for your continued membership and support of Kodály Australia. In what seems like an ever more challenging and complex world, I remain grateful for our Kodály Australia community and look forward to working with you in 2026.

With best wishes

Jason Boron
President
Kodály Australia