A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy stole the spotlight from Labor candidate Roy Reekie’s trumpeting of a $2 million election promise to bring more music lessons to Victorian schools.
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Dan Duffy walked into the Dale Cleve music store in Warrnambool with his mum for a pre-arranged photo shoot for The Standard and promptly lit up the atmosphere with his piano playing ability.
He rolled out classical pieces from memory, then proceeded to explain complicated chord structures and musical terms with the clarity of an expert.
The grade 1 pupil at Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School is legally blind and doesn’t read sheet music. His extraordinary ability comes through mathematical calculation and memory.
He has been taking lessons outside school hours from tutor Jonathan Cox for barely a year.
Mr Reekie, Labor’s candidate for the seat of South West Coast, said the funding announced yesterday by Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews would mean all schools could afford to provide dedicated music lessons.
“The funding is in addition to our funding for disadvantaged families for sport and excursions and uniforms and reinstatement of the reading recovery program,” he said.
Mr Reekie said Labor had also allocated $500m for infrastructure in government schools, $120m in non-government schools and $125m for technical education centres.
“I’m pleased to see the funding is not just about infrastructure, but about programs to get rounded education outcomes.
“In some country schools the budget is so tight they can’t afford to run programs and the kids miss out.”
The music funding includes $1.4m for government schools to refresh or start music education, $400,000 for government and low-fee independent schools to purchase instruments and $200,000 for training teachers in music education.
