NSW Government Backs SongMakers Expansion with $1.53M Funding

SongMakers, a songwriting program for young people, will be expanded in New South Wales in 2026 and 2027, thanks to new funding from the State Government.

Through the NSW Government’s Sound NSW, $1.53 million in funding will extend it across the next two years to include in-school workshops, school holiday programs, SongMakers Academy, and teacher development. The 2026 program will begin with workshops in Western Sydney, the Central Coast and the state’s south-east, with mentors already confirmed to take part including Chloe Dadd, Dobby, Hylander, KLP, Lily Richardson (CLEWS), Mr Rhodes, and more.

Run by APRA AMCOS, SongMakers gives young people with a passion for music the opportunity to co-write and record original music with highly acclaimed artists and producers. It first launched in 2013, and has since taught over 5,000 young people and their teachers at more than 300 schools nationally.

Alumni from the program include Chelsea Warner, Taka Perry, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, and Tia Gostelow.

NSW government schools can register an expression of interest here.

“Sound NSW is proud to support the expansion of SongMakers, a program that has a proven track record of inspiring young people and nurturing the next generation of Australian songwriters,” said Head of Sound NSW, Emily Collins.

“This investment ensures that students across NSW can access high-quality creative learning experiences led by some of our most exciting artists and producers. We look forward to seeing the talent, confidence and opportunities this program will unlock over the next two years.”

In order to support the expanded program, two new staff have joined the SongMakers team – NSW Program Manager Reg Harris and Coordinator Breanna Jones.

Harris is a music programmer and musician with a passion for platforming and supporting emerging artists. He comes from previous roles as Music Festival Program Manager at SXSW Sydney, Music Director at fbi.radio in Sydney and a Writer Services Representative at APRA AMCOS.

Jones also comes from a stint at fbi.radio where she was Station Manager. Prior to that she was a Creative Advisor for Accessible Arts’ Songsmiths program, a board member for not-for-profit disability-led label Off The List Records and sat on judging panels for the Music Victoria Awards, and Accessible Arts’ Bundanon Artist in Residence program.

Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, concludes: “We applaud the NSW Government for this latest investment in the next generation of songwriters and can’t wait to bring the program to government and state schools from next year.

“As SongMakers has already shown in Victoria, teaching songwriting in schools not only provides skills and opportunities to the next generation of stars, but also helps to keep Australia on the map as a real creator of incredible world-class music.”