The Open Classroom Series 2026

Tammy brings over 25 years of music teaching experience, with a strong passion for early childhood education. She teaches in Hillcrest Christian College’s Early and Primary Music and Choral Programs. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Music, Australian Kodály Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate in Music Play Therapy, and Master of Music.

Originally trained as a generalist classroom teacher with a major in Early Childhood Education, Anne-Marie has always incorporated music and singing into her daily classroom learning experiences. She is a strong advocate for music as a stand-alone subject in primary schools and is passionate about the role of music in supporting children’s learning, creativity, and wellbeing.

Mentored by passionate Kodály educators, Anne-Marie has reintroduced a Kodály-inspired pedagogy into her current school community. She is a committed advocate for music education that values singing, play, discovery, and joyful music-making, particularly in the early years. In recognition of her work, she was recently nominated for the BCE “Excellence in Learning and Teaching in a Primary School” award.

Beyond the classroom, Anne-Marie is actively involved in supporting music ministry across two local Catholic parishes and performs with a Brisbane based classical guitar ensemble. She also serves as President of a local high school music support group and works closely with secondary music departments to strengthen pathways for students transitioning from primary to secondary music education. In 2025, Anne-Marie contributed to the advisory committee responsible for developing a new instrumental music curriculum for guitar within the Catholic Education sector.

In her spare time, Anne-Marie enjoys gardening, chatting to her chickens, reading a good book, and chauffeuring her three children to their many music rehearsals.