Community Music Victoria is a volunteer driven not-for-profit organisation that does an amazing array of work supported by a small annual grant from Creative Victoria (via Music Victoria with whom we partner), by membership fees, donations, by grants for particular projects, and by the generous giving of time by many volunteers.

Our vision is to enhance health and wellbeing, strengthen communities, build social connectedness, and lessen social isolation, through widespread participation in active music making. 

Our mission is to is to facilitate the development of the skills, opportunities and networks necessary for participatory and accessible music-making to be available to all Victorians, whatever their skills or background (learn more about the Community Music Movement). Making music together is a great entry point into creativity and results in profound benefits to individual and community health and well-being. We deliver this mission by focussing our activities around four major goals.

At CMVic we are constantly learning more about how best to do this. One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways is to help people learn how to lead inclusive music-making groups (a bit like teaching someone to fish rather than giving them a fish), provide support as they start out, and create networks of support and resources for leaders and groups. This is at the centre of what we do through a wide range of projects and events. 

Over the past 30 years more than 3000 people have participated in our singing and music leadership skills programs. As a result at least 16,000 people engage in active music making in the groups and activities these leaders have initiated.

In early 2019 we launched the Growing Community Music project aimed at increasing the number of Victorian community music leaders, supporting existing leaders in many different settings, creating necessary training programs, providing mentoring, and resourcing. The first stage, generously funded by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, has involved consulting communities across Victoria about their community music needs. Stage two involve establishing regional teams in the areas where consultations were conducted, connecting music makers and leaders with one another, developing leadership capacity through skill-sharing events, peer exchange opportunities, and mentoring. Depending on funds raised stage two will also involve consultation in areas not yet covered, and increased central funding to support the delivery of stage two in the regions.

Donate to Community Music Victoria now!

Donate here or join the monthly giving circle below.

Community Music Victoria Inc is listed on the Register of Cultural Organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status.   All donations of $2 and over to CMVic are tax deductible. You will receive a receipt for your records. CMVic is also registered as a charity with the ACNC. Click the Registered Charity Tick to view our listing.

Monthly Donation Amount

$

Donate

WHAT WE DO - EVENTS

In collaboration with our partners, CMVic organises a wide range of events for people of all musical abilities. These events 

• provide an opportunity for everyone to play music in a secure and friendly environment
• support existing singing or instrumental music groups and their leaders
• encourage new leaders to start new groups
• provide the opportunity for sharing repertoire and leadership skills

The StreetSounds Festival 2017 and the CMVIC Music Camp 2018 are great examples.

WHAT WE DO - SUPPORT

Publications and Resources - we issue regular publications and make available various musical resources for all types music groups both free and available for purchase from our online store. 

Networking - we help musicians and music groups get to know each and share their ideas, skills, and music. We encourage this through our online networking opportunities and also events such as “Raising the Roof” - where vocal and instrumental ensembles from across Victoria came together to celebrate the New Hamer Hall in a music-making event on a grand scale.

Ongoing mentorship - CMVic has developed a team of experienced leaders of music groups, and our 'regional activist volunteers' can put new and emerging music groups in touch with a leader based near them. They can offer practical assistance to new groups that require leadership from experienced facilitators, and can also play a mentoring role to the prospective leaders within those communities. 

WHAT WE DO - PROJECTS

Our activities increasingly bring together many forms of music making through both events and projects. Some of our key projects:

• Growing Community Music: a state-wide program to increase the number of Victorian community music leaders and support existing leaders, in many different settings, including necessary training programs, mentoring, and resourcing. 
• Voices of Peace, a project to empower recently arrived and settled refugees from Assyrian Chaldean background to establish a Women's Choir, funded by the Victorian Women's Trust and Hume City Council.
• That Girl, a music video project to empower girls and work towards keeping all women and girls safe from violence, funded by Gateway Health and the City of Wodonga, by the City of Boroondara, by the Yarra Ranges Shire, and by generous private donors.
• StreetSounds, a major 3-year project funded by Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and RE Ross Trust.
• Singing from Country, first stage funded by Regional Arts Victoria culminated in a performance at the Castlemaine State Festival.
• Sing English in conjunction with the Urban Lyrebirds successfully ran workshops in Shepparton for EAL teachers.
• 4M - Making Marimbas Making Music. Recently completed project funded by Australian Unity
• Singing for Inclusion: a partnership with Creativity Australia to help singing leaders learn how to be truly inclusive.
• Sing Yarra Ranges: funded by Yarra Ranges Shire, a great skill-sharing and network building project by CMVic catalysts in the Yarra Ranges.

WHY WE DO IT

Community Music Victoria was established to rediscover something really important. Read all about it here.

CMVic has ambitious plans to build on its highly successful programs to date.  By making available a wider range of resources and support, we plan for a further expansion of new groups and for an even greater number of participants from all walks of life. We will focus on leadership and skills, participation, advocacy, and sustainablilty. Read more in our Strategic Plan.

OUR VALUES

• Creativity
• Empowerment 
• Generosity 
• Inclusivity 
• Joy 
• Leadership
• Participation

For more details on our values click here

OUR BOARD AND TEAM

For a quick guide to who’s who at CMVic click here.
To see our most recent Annual reports, click here.

OUR COMMUNITY

A wide range of people, groups and organisations are supported and connected through the work of CMVic:

• Migrants
• Indigenous groups 
• Youth
• Older adults
• People experiencing mental or physical illness
• People experiencing economic or social disadvantage
• Regional communities
• People seeking confidence or self-esteem
• People seeking the joy of creating and contributing to their community

GET INVOLVED

You can be involved in Community music making in Victoria, here’s how:

• Become a member of CMVic.
• Donate as an individual or organisation
• Sponsor a program or project in our strategic agenda
• You can find a group to join by searching our database
• Register as a Singing or Music Leader by contacting us
• Become a volunteer for CMVic
• Participate in one of our upcoming events