Year 9 students at All Saints Anglican School gather around Yorta Yorta singer-songwriter Scott Darlow and his daughters, Kiah and Summer Darlow, after a presentation on First Nations history and Australian culture.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“Words can make you think, but music can make you feel.”
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For First Nations singer-songwriter Kiah Darlow, teaching music in traditional Yorta Yorta language has the power to heal.
This philosophy took centre stage at All Saints Anglican School on June 2 to mark National Reconciliation Week, as Yorta Yorta singer-songwriter and educator Scott Darlow and his daughters, Kiah and Summer, held presentations, performances and workshops at the Shepparton school.
Reconciliation Week is held annually from May 27 to June 3 and celebrates First Nations’ culture and history while building connections to the wider community.
Kiah performed alongside her sister at the school and then commenced workshops, teaching students songs in Yorta Yorta language.
“To be able to teach the students here a song in traditional Yorta Yorta language on Yorta Yorta country has been such a special experience,” she said.
Kiah believes music helps people connect on a deeper level with the message of reconciliation.
“Everybody speaks different languages all over the world, but music is the universal language,” she said.
“It hits deeper if they’re actually singing it and understanding the meaning behind the lyrics and the language they’re singing,” she said.
Sisters Kiah and Summer Darlow are both singer-songwriters who perform together in their band, Violet Summers.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Kiah recalled having a disheartening experience when performing songs in Yorta Yorta language while she was in school.
“There were people in the crowd that were laughing because they felt uncomfortable at hearing Aboriginal language,” she said.
She said it made her want to “increase language visibility in schools in Australia because if kids were exposed to Aboriginal languages from a younger age, they wouldn't feel ‘uncomfortable’ hearing it”.
She said teaching songs to Year 6 and Year 7 students at All Saints felt like a full-circle moment.
“They all sang it loud and proud, and it was awesome,” she said.
“It was healing for me and my inner child to be able to teach that in a safe space and have it be so well received.”
Through assemblies, workshops and performances, the Darlow family encouraged students to learn about Aboriginal culture, history and reconciliation.
Yorta Yorta singer‑songwriter, public speaker and educator Scott Darlow speaks passionately about First Nations history to students.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Summer said her father’s presentations centred on inclusivity, with younger students hearing “about Aboriginal culture and what it's like to be an Aboriginal person”.
“When it gets to the older years, it’s a little more focused on the heavier stuff, so colonisation … the impacts when it happened, and the impacts today,” Summer said.
Kiah said she hoped a day of storytelling and singing left students with a stronger connection to the culture of the Country on which they lived and learnt.
“I hope they walk away feeling part of the culture,” she said.
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