For Early Childhood
Using Music: Supporting communication, wellbeing and inclusion through everyday music-making.
Using Music is a professional learning and mentoring program that supports early childhood educators to use music confidently, intentionally and creatively in everyday practice.
Through practical, participatory professional learning and ongoing mentoring, educators explore how singing, rhythm, movement, listening and musical play can support children's communication, regulation, relationships, inclusion and wellbeing.
No specialist musical skills are needed. The focus is on discovering how music can become a natural, enjoyable and sustainable part of everyday early childhood life.
Using Music can be delivered through eligible Victorian School Readiness Funding arrangements.
Want to strengthen communication, inclusion, and wellbeing across your early childhood community?
Every early childhood community is different. Using Music combines professional learning with opportunities to explore, practise and reflect on musical approaches in your own setting.
Professional Learning
Engaging, hands-on workshops that build educators' confidence and understanding of how music can support children's learning, development and wellbeing.
Mentoring and Modelling
Practical support to bring musical approaches into everyday routines, play and interactions. This may include collaborative music-making with children, modelling and reflective conversations with educators.
Embedding Music in Everyday Practice
Working together to identify musical approaches that fit your setting, your educators and the children in your care, so that music continues to be part of everyday practice beyond the program.
What Using Music Looks Like
About Me
Hi, I’m Dr Meg Steele, director of Creative School Support.
With over two decades of experience across education as a music therapist and teacher, alongside a Masters in Inclusive Education and a PhD exploring professional learning for classroom wellbeing, my work is grounded in both research and practice.
I’ve worked within the realities of schools and early childhood settings, and understand the pressures of teaching and leadership, the impact of limited resourcing, and the challenge of approaches that are well intentioned but difficult to sustain over time.
Creative School Support grew in response to this.
I offer purposeful, short-term music therapy programs alongside professional learning and consultation, recognising that meaningful support can involve both direct work with students and strengthening the capacity of the adults around them.
Whether working with individual students, small groups or whole-school and kinder communities, my approach is relational, responsive and grounded in the everyday realities of school life.
The focus is on building approaches that can continue beyond the initial engagement, supporting staff and students over time.
Learn more about Using Music
Using Music is a research-informed professional learning and mentoring program developed by registered music therapist and registered teacher Pip Reid. I work with early childhood services in Ballarat and surrounds to bring this approach into everyday practice, supporting educators to use music in ways that are responsive to their children and communities.
For more information about the program, its development and the research underpinning it, visit the Using Music website.
