DECS Designated: Music Centre Following a recommendation by the Secondary Music Curriculum Committee of the South Australian Education Department of 1974, a task force was set up by the Minister of Education to make recommendations on the establishment of Music Centres. A plan to set up a series of centres designed to nurture the State's most promising young musicians, was implemented by the then Education Minister, Hugh Hudson. The Special Interest Music Centres (SIMCs) were first established at Marryatville and Brighton High Schools, followed by Woodville and Freemont High Schools. These were in four distinct geographical areas of Adelaide. Since that time, these SIMCs have become lighthouses of excellence in secondary music education and have an enviable reputation for the quality of both their performance ensembles, classroom music activities and student results. Music Centre, Darlene Newitt 83048431 A Brief Local History In 1976 the Premier of the time, The Honorable Don Dunstan, opened the Special Interest Music Centre at Marryatville High School. The concept embraced by the Music Centre was that the musically talented needed an opportunity to share the depth and breadth of their passion with others of like mind, without being divorced from the programmes and cultural breadth of a 'neighbourhood' school. Marryatville's historical 'Stables' building, the Coach-house of Eden Park building, as well as the new Music Suit opened in 1997, now houses a highly acclaimed and successful Special Interest Music Centre. It services approximately 120 students who gain entry via an auditioning process, which attracts many of the students from the general population of the school, where a rich and diverse Arts education has been carefully nurtured as an integral part of the general curriculum offering.

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