New research released by Music Australia in the report, More Than Notes on a Page: The Music Education Ecosystem in Australia, has identified music education as a major economic contributor, generating $1.79 billion in revenues and approximately $1.5b in direct GVA (Gross Value Added) – exceeding the economic contribution of live performance.

The report examined music education across formal and informal settings, including instrumental tuition, composition, conducting, recording, live production and music business training.

Photo © Evan Peck/Unsplash

Music education remains Australia’s most widely accessed art form among children, according to new sector analysis, with 47 per cent of children currently learning music in a school setting and a further 23 per cent  participating through extracurricular providers. This makes music the most common out-of-school creative activity, delivered across a diverse ecosystem that includes private and non-profit providers, community conservatoria, tertiary institutions, vocational training organisations and registered training providers spanning early childhood to lifelong learning.

The sector is economically significant but highly concentrated in key jurisdictions, with 63 per cent  of identified music education organisations based in Victoria or New South Wales.

Instruction and delivery forms the core of the industry, generating an estimated $1.8b in revenue and $1.5b in gross value added, and accounting for more than half of all music education organisations nationally. Supporting segments include research, pedagogy and teacher training, which generated $53 million in revenue and $20 million in GVA, alongside $13m in export income, underscoring international demand for Australian expertise in music education and training.

Other structural components of the ecosystem include youth pathways and showcase activities, which generated $21m in revenue and $11m in GVA, and provide key progression routes into tertiary study and professional careers.

Music examinations contributed $17m in revenue ($6m in GVA), playing a critical credentialing role that influences both higher education entry and professional advancement. Music retail added a further $169m in revenue ($53n in GVA), while industry support and development bodies contributed $8m in GVA, underlining their role in advocacy, professional development and coordination, though this remains uneven and often project-based.

Despite its scale, the sector faces structural pressures, including a decline in sequential music education. Senior secondary music enrolments fell 16 per cent nationally between 2012 and 2022, while more than 40 creative arts university courses have been discontinued since 2018.

Teacher training capacity has also weakened, with average music education training hours in primary teaching degrees dropping from 17 hours in 2009 to just eight hours by 2022, with most training now delivered outside formal education systems. Nevertheless, the sector generates $90m in export revenue and demonstrates broader cultural value: adults who received arts education as children are 56 per cent more likely to attend live music events, compared with 36 per cent of those without such education, directly sustaining Australia’s live music economy.

More Than Notes on a Page: The Music Education Ecosystem in Australia is available to read/download at this link