Agent TypeOrganisationActivities & OccupationsProfessional organisationsHistoryThe Victorian Music Teachers’ Association (VMTA) was founded in 1928 as a hub for musical activity and advocacy for music teachers. It was formed by an array of University of Melbourne Conservatorium staff, members of the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB), Allans Music and the Australian Musical News. Leading figures in the association during the early years were Sutton Crow who was also the Secretary for both the University Conservatorium and the AMEB and Claude Wallis, Crow’s appointee who was an employee of Allans Music.
The collection of archival material provides a valuable link to another time and will be of benefit to those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of historic practices relating to instrumental music teaching. Documents from the 1920s-1930s such as the minutes form the core of the collection, but it should be noted that much archival material was lost in the fire that destroyed Allans music in 1955. Records were housed there, as an Allans staff member was also the Honorary Secretary of VMTA at the time.
The VMTA ran many programs for teachers and students such as the Melbourne Eisteddford and Summer Conference programs. Life member of the VMTA, Mrs Judy Hall, OAM, made a significant donation of material in 2014. Her donation includes pedagogical information for piano teachers, photos, letters, and a travel diary documenting one of the VMTA’s international study tours.
The VMTA also ran many fundraising activities for its membership such as the production and sale of its 1993 cookbook and the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for children. The photograph collection documents members events and music education and includes VMTA leaders such as May Clifford and events featuring composers such as Miriam Hyde and Richard Gill.
Victorian Music Teachers's Association Inc (1928-). University of Melbourne Archives, accessed 19/01/2025, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/62838
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