2024 Great Start Grant


Applications for the 2024 Great Start Grant have now closed.


Since 2017, Yamaha Music Australia has awarded the annual Great Start Grant, one of the most rewarding elements of the Off to a Great Start initiative. With a goal of providing Australian schools in need of a helping hand getting a music performance program off the ground, we are proud to have supported the establishment of six music programs in schools across Australia who otherwise may never have had the opportunity or resources.

In 2024, we have recognized the needs of those schools with already established music programs, and in response, we are excited to offer up to 10 grants this year - each worth $3,000 in value, to further improve access to, and enhance quality of, music education in all schools. These grants are designed to support both the establishment of new programs and the growth of existing ones.

Why does Yamaha Music Australia award these grants?

Music is widely accepted as a valuable and meaningful part of a child’s education. Unfortunately, in Australia, not every school offers continuous, sequential education in music.

By creating a national conversation around music programs, Yamaha’s goal is to get the essential stakeholders within a school talking about how they can practically begin or expand their music offering. In highlighting the journey of one school, a pathway is laid to inspire other schools.

With group music events proven to boost happiness levels, the Great Start Grant has the opportunity to foster positivity and social connections in a collaborative setting. As the largest instrument manufacturer globally, Yamaha can lead a conversation around the value of making music.

Who is it for?

In 2024, we are eager to support all Australian schools with a goal of providing the best possible music education for their students, including those schools with a brand new program, as well as as those aiming to make their established programs as strong as they can be.

We are looking for schools that demonstrate a passion and drive for music education and a vision for how this grant could make a real impact.

The evidence only continues to grow in proving that music education does so much more than just teach children to play an instrument. It can bring an immense number of benefits to a child’s life such as enhanced cognitive abilities, as well as improved academic performance and social skills.

Our commitment is to ensure that these benefits reach as wide as possible, with the goal to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape of Australia. Through receiving grants such as these, schools will have the opportunity to strengthen their music programs and subsequently enhance the educational experiences of their students.

[Journal of Educational Pyschology, 112(2)]

2023 GRANT RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED

In 2023 Northern Peninsula Area State College, QLD has been awarded the Great Start Grant consisting of $50,000 worth of Yamaha musical instruments.

Runners up, Freshwater Christian College (QLD) and Frederickton Public School (NSW) have also been awarded $2,000 to help support their music programs.

Off to a Great Start Grant Winners Announced!


Yamaha Music Australia is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Off to a Great Start Grant.

On-going

Yamaha announces recipient of Great Start Grant 2023


Yamaha Music Australia is proud to announce this year’s winner of the Grant Start Grant: Northern Peninsula Area State College, QLD.

On-going

Sunshine College One Year On


After launching their new band program in 2022, we returned to Sunshine College to enjoy their first term’s concert with special guests, Yamaha artists Horns of Leroy

On-going

Great Start Grant 2022 Recipient Announced


Yamaha’s Great Start Grant 2022 has been awarded to Greenvale Secondary College.

On-going