Professional development - open to all educators
Saturday 28 February 2026 | 8.30am - 4.00pm | Gungahlin College, 23 Gozzard Street, Gungahlin, ACT
The annual Arts Up Front conference brings together teachers and artists across Canberra and the region to explore the transformative power of the arts in education.
Join us Saturday 28 February 2026 for a day of ‘creative practice’ where we present a series of dynamic hands-on workshops, and collaborative sessions designed to inspire your passion for arts teaching and enhance your personal and classroom practice.
Choose from a broad series of arts workshops in media, photography, visual arts, dance, drama, music and wellbeing disciplines across both primary and secondary.
Join us to network with fellow educators, share best practice, and leave with a toolkit of resources to inspire your teaching and enrich your students' learning experiences.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, create, and celebrate the arts!
5 Hours of TQI Accredited PL
Registrations close Sunday 22 February - Click HERE to register
Conference Schedule
| Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and Trader Stalls | Theatre Foyer, Grind Cafe and Nexus | 8.30am - 9.00am |
| Introduction | Theatre | 9.00am - 9.15am |
| Session 1 - Workshop | Various | 9.20am - 10.40am |
| Morning Tea and Trader Stalls | Grind Cafe and Nexus | 10.45am - 11.05am |
| Session 2 - Workshop | Various | 11.10am - 12.30pm |
| Session 3 - Professional Learning Circles | Various | 12.35pm - 1.30pm |
| Lunch and Trader Stalls | Grind Cafe and Nexus | 1.35pm - 2.15pm |
| Session 4 - Workshop | Various | 2.20pm - 3.40pm |
| Conclusion | Theatre | 3.45pm - 4.00pm |
New for 2026: Professional Learning Circles
Based on delegate feedback, Arts Up Front 2026 will feature not only three dynamic workshops but also an exciting new opportunity for collaboration and connection!
In addition to selecting workshops, you’ll now participate in a collaborative learning circle — a dedicated time to connect with colleagues in your Arts teaching area. Guided by a facilitator, these sessions will provide space to:
- Share classroom experiences, challenges and successes
- Exchange resources and ideas
- Build lasting professional networks
2026 Sessions
Choose four sessions from the list below that align to your professional learning needs and goals.
Separate Primary and Secondary sessions have been programmed to ensure learning is targeted to your specific educational setting.
Workshops presenters and descriptions can be FOUND HERE!
Secondary MEDIA and PHOTOGRAPHY
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esther Packard Hill Dickson College | Embracing the visual: teaching effective screenplay writing |
| 2 | Jin Chan Australian Institute of Entertainment | Creating and animating a character in the Adobe Creative Suite |
| 3 | Esther Packard Hill Dickson College | Media Professional Learning Circle |
| 3 | April Croft Marist College | Photography Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Claire Fletcher Artist | Zine Lab: photography, collage and artist books |
Secondary VISUAL ART
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dani Olney and Ines Crowe Calwell High School | The Joy of Folk Art: Inspiring Your Classroom |
| 2 | Maggie Douglas National Gallery of Australia | Art Through Culture: After the Rain |
| 3 | Liesl Koster Telopea Park School | Secondary Visual Art Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Anna Rapp Artist | Thinking in layers: transferring print onto clay |
Secondary DANCE
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauren Chard Canberra College | From Fosse to Funk: Exploring the Spectrum of Jazz Dance in the Secondary Classroom |
| 2 | Emma Laverty Project Dust | Making culture accessible |
| 3 | Emily Appleton Lake Tuggeranong College | Secondary Dance Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Louise Chapman ACT Education Directorate | Cultural Dance is Cool! |
Secondary DRAMA
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna Johnstone Canberra Youth Theatre | The Art of Devising: From Visual to Embodied Performance |
| 2 | Crystal Mahon Gungahlin College | Creative Movement: Improvisation and Experimentation in Drama |
| 3 | Hannah McFadden Melba Copeland Senior Secondary School | Secondary Drama Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Adam Salter Canberra High School | Frankenstein’s Footsteps: Creating character using spare parts |
Secondary MUSIC
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarrod Schindler Marist College | Explicitly Creative - Creatively Explicit |
| 2 | Rob McWilliams Yamaha Australia | Recruiting and Engaging Your Instrumental Students |
| 3 | Rob McWilliams Yamaha Australia | Practical & Effective Rehearsal Techniques |
| 3 | Rachel Rasmussen St Edmond’s College | Secondary Music Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Rob McWilliams Yamaha Australia | What You Show is What You’ll Get! - Key Conducting Concepts Revisited |
Primary MUSIC
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Thomas Instrumental Music Program | Let's Play Ukulele! |
| 2 | Claire Halse Canberra Grammar School | Building Confident Choirs Through Student Voice |
| 3 | Joel Copeland Instrumental Music Program | Primary Music Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Felicity Gallagher Ngunnawal Primary School | Mallets Magic |
Primary VISUAL ARTS
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirstin Guenther Black Mountain School/ Artist | Empowering Every Student through play with 'No-Fail' Individual Art |
| 2 | Marianne Mettes Access Art Academy | Magic from the Recycling Bin: Classroom Puppetry Made Easy |
| 3 | Facilitator TBC | Primary Visual Art Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | Rechelle Turner Belconnen High School/ Nurranurra Art | Weaving and Yarning |
Primary PERFORMING ARTS
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jena Prince Canberra Theatre Centre | Drama in the Classroom: Building English and Literacy Skills |
| 2 | Kirsty Robinson Taylor Primary School | No Instruments? No Problem! Body Percussion for Primary Music Making |
| 3 | Sophie Hopkins Red Hill Primary School | Primary Dance and Drama Professional Learning Circle |
| 4 | QL2 Dance | Creative Dance Making for the Primary Classroom |
Primary and Secondary WELLBEING
| Session | Presenter | Workshop |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenny Dunn Kind Labs | Boosting Wellbeing in the Classroom: Simple Daily Practices That Work! |
| 2 | TBC | |
| 4 | Alisha Lana Rose Isha Bae - Art Therapy and Sound Healing | Using Sound Healing & Expressive Arts to Enable Emotional Wellness in the Classroom |
Traders
- Canberra Theatre Centre Education and Programs
- Canberra Youth Theatre
- Wakakirri
- S&S Wholesale
- M16 Artspace
- Access Art Academy
- National Gallery of Australia
- National Portrait Gallery
- Better Music
- Kodaly ACT
- ACTMEN
- Belconnen and Gungahlin Arts Centres
- Step into the Limelight
- ... and more to come!
Registration
Event registration includes access to 5 hours of TQI accredited professional learning, three workshops delivered by industry leaders, networking opportunities, trader stalls, performances, and complimentary lunch and refreshments during breaks.
Conference cost:
- Individuals/ non-government schools: $220 including GST
- Government schools: $200 no GST
Invoices for individuals/non-government schools will be sent out in the week prior to the conference.
Invoices for government schools will be sent out the week after the conference.
Register HERE by Sunday 22 February 2026!
Cancellation Policy
The conference workshops have limited capacity and many will book out. For this reason, we request that any cancellations adhere to the below guidelines. This will allow us to offer your spot to other participants, and ensure the conference is financially viable.
- Cancellations made 2 weeks or more in advance of the conference date will receive a 100% refund.
- Cancellations made within 7 days will receive a 50% refund.
- Cancellations made within 48 hours, or 'no shows', will not receive a refund. The full conference price will be charged.
If you are unable to attend on the day, you are welcome to nominate someone else to attend in your place. The person attending in your place will attend your selected sessions. Payment should be arranged between yourself and your replacement.
For further information, or to cancel, please contact the Instrumental Music Program office.
E: imp.admin@ed.act.edu.au
P: 6142 0480 between the hours of 9am and 3.30pm weekdays
2025 Presenters
We’re very proud to showcase the outstanding Arts institutions and professionals who supported Arts Up Front in 2025! Their expertise, creativity and generosity helped to make this event an inspiring professional learning experience for Arts educators across the ACT.
- Photoaccess
- Academy of Interactive Entertainment
- Bobby Graham Publishers
- Megalo Print Studios
- Ikebana Canberra
- So Samba Canberra
- Ausdance ACT
- Canberra Theatre Centre Creative Learning
- Heartstrings Theatre Co
- Bell Shakepeare
- The Australian National University, School of Music
- Yamaha Music Education Outreach
- Instrumental Music Program
- Access Art Academy
- Julian Laffan - Artist
- Amy Dunn - Artist
- Melissa Markos - Dancer
- Orff Music
- Mr Tim Enterprises
- Kind Labs
- Wellness Breakthrough Academy
- Balancing ACT Alexander Technique
Highlights of the 2025 conference from our anonymous feedback survey:
"... provides a space for learning and experimentation"
"Creating art to take back to school"
"The opportunity to meet educators from other schools, hear about different experiences and share stories and information."
"I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of the workshops"
"I enjoyed meeting new people who teach the same subjects as me."
