“We’re keeping our CULTURE ALIVE”

STORIES OF ANCESTORS ARE SUNG AT THIS REMOTE SCHOOL

- Megan Rowe

Laughter rings out across the Bulman School playground, blending in with the steady tap of clapsticks and the ancient call of the didgeridoo. It's rehearsal time, and all 60 students from the isolated primary school in Arnhem Land, in the NT's northeast corner, are polishing off their latest song inspired by a traditional Dreamtime story.

Music workshops run by nonprofit, The Song Room, have helped the students compose more than a dozen songs in the two traditional languages of the region, Dalabon and Rembarrnga. School principal Michelle Jensen says the songs help bridge a generational divide.