This year we will be spending time in the Kimberley as a first for our program. As we enter our 7th year I reflect on the many trips to different parts of our great country that we have been part of. I am always blown away by the support we receive each year from our valued donors and the team of dedicated music educators that we have been able to work with over these past years.

It seems to me that music has always been a great medium for connection between people and helps us connect and build stories that carry us forward and create long lasting connections. In a world where we have increasing fear and anxiety about the next big bad thing that might happen we need the connecting ability and therapy of music and story telling more than ever. 

Our indigenous brother and sisters have used the ancient art of story telling and music to give life a sense of meaning and purpose for a very long time. I believe we can learn from this and also find ways to follow this example.

For our team this year It is always truly amazing to be able to hit the road, travel to an outback community and slow down the pace, playing some music and sharing stories. This year we will be working in remote community schools, taking musical instruments to these locations and teaching young indigenous students how to play songs and share their stories through songwriting.

A further part of our work is trying to understand the issues that some of these communities face and through music try and find a way to tell these stories to each other and to others. In doing so I hope we can create a better way for us all to understand each other and make a positive pathway forward from here. I look forward to our work this year and building more connections with Aboriginal elders and community leaders.

We want to thank the following sponsors for their continued support of our project Instruments for The Outback: