Approaches to ethical engagement between Australian tertiary music institutions and First Nations peoples

Abstract

The chapter describes two approaches to ethical engagement between Australian tertiary music institutions and First Nations peoples, grounded in Indigenous rights and social justice principles. Both approaches address the need for enhanced responsiveness by the Australian tertiary music education system to the identified priorities, requirements, and needs of Australian First Nations peoples and communities. The first provides an exemplar, the ground-breaking Indigenous-led Ngarra-burria First Peoples Composers initiative, a specialised pathway to tertiary music studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and a surrogate Indigenous tertiary music education entity in practice. The second describes a specialised Indigenous-informed co-design framework for a project that seeks to address the need for more effective engagement by Australian tertiary music education institutions with diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. The chapter concludes with some implications of this work and suggestions for key principles and approaches that may be applicable in other community-institution settings.