Access, Equity and Inclusion Plan
Musica Viva Australia’s CEO, Anne Frankenberg, has announced the publication of the organisation’s first Access, Equity and Inclusion Plan.
Anne Frankenberg says:
‘Musica Viva Australia is committed to being a welcoming, accessible and diverse organisation – one that champions and celebrates everyone in our community and creates space for all Australians to enjoy music and participate in music-making.’
The Access, Equity and Inclusion Plan was developed under the guidance of AEI consultants Morwenna Collett and Dr Rachael Jacobs over eight months of listening, learning and discussion with staff, Board members, artists, audiences and MVA community members. It focuses on the four key areas of disability, sexuality and gender, cultural diversity and socio-economic access, and includes an action plan for artists, audiences, workforce and organisation-wide initiatives.
Notwithstanding recent moves to disparage and dismantle DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives in the USA, MVA sees an overwhelmingly strong case for embracing Access, Equity and Inclusion, both as an expression of company values and as a commercial imperative.
'AEI is a no brainer,' says Frankenberg. 'It opens the door to a wider audience base, wider talent base (for artists and staff), greater employee satisfaction and retention and enriched artistic outcomes. It is also the right thing to do.
'This approach has been part of MVA's DNA for decades, as our huge primary school student audience base encompasses all backgrounds and abilities, and I’m proud of the work we have already started, some of which is detailed in the case studies below. But this is just the beginning, and the Plan is a foundation for further learning and growth across the organisation. I look forward to implementing the action plan over the next three years and into the future.'
Case Studies
1: Imagination Exploration – increasing access for students with disability
Imagination Exploration is a 50-minute performance designed for school audiences from K - Year 8. The performers, I Hold the Lion’s Paw, are multi-instrumentalists with expertise in improvisation. In 2024 Imagination Exploration was the first Musica Viva Australia In Schools show to be adapted for students with disability.
Reuben Lewis, leader of I Hold the Lion’s Paw, says:
‘We were fortunate to be one of the first ensembles to develop a Musica Viva Australia Education show with diverse access needs audiences in mind. We worked closely with the Musica Viva Australia team from the start and did a series of trial shows at specialist schools, which gave us clear feedback and removed some of the fear of the unknown.
‘What we found was that we didn’t need to change the show dramatically—it was more about understanding how to communicate certain elements. With guidance from the experts —educators and consultants who know the students well — we can walk in and perform the same show without issue. In fact, focusing on making the show work for diverse access needs contexts improves the quality of the show for all audiences.’
2: Esmé Quartet – increasing access for culturally diverse audiences
Esmé Quartet is a German-based ensemble with three of its four musicians hailing from the Republic of Korea. MVA was proud to host the Quartet’s debut Australian tour in 2024 as part of its mainstage concert program. A pilot marketing campaign focussed on developing audiences from the Korean community was initiated in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in partnership with Cultural Pulse. Elements of this work included translating key messages for the Korean market, targeting Korean media, particularly Korean language outlets, and amplification and community distribution of content with both Korean and English messaging. These efforts achieved significant reach and paved the way for ongoing relationships with the Korean community and future targeted audience development with other community groups.
3: Equal Music – increasing access to Music Education
Each year Musica Viva Australia in Schools (MVAIS) provides transformative musical learning experiences to over 150,000 students and teachers across Australia. MVA’s Equal Music Program is an initiative that provides $500,000 of government and philanthropic financial assistance to support over 74,800 students who would not otherwise be able to experience live music and music education. Schools rated low on the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA), schools with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and/or students with disability, and schools in regional and remote areas can access heavily subsidised or free performances.
In 2024, Equal Music funding enabled students from the tiny Raukkan Aboriginal School on Ngarrindjeri land in regional South Australia (student population of 10) to join forces with the nearby Meningie Area School for a MVAIS performance of Life is An Echo, with subsidised ticket prices for students from both schools.
The Access, Equity and Inclusion Plan is available to download at Musica Viva Australia’s website.