About the Centre

Wilto Yerlo is a teaching, research, learning, access and support centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the University of Adelaide. This support is offered in all programs offered at North Terrace, Roseworthy, and Waite campuses.

Adelaide Uni is in the heart of traditional Kaurna country. In the language of the Kaurna people, Wilto Yerlo means "Sea Eagle". Wilto Yerlo is the totem of Gladys Elphick. All significant events at Wilto Yerlo and the University of Adelaide feature a Kaurna welcome.

History and Heritage

The predecessor of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music was the 'Programme of Training in Music for South Australian Aboriginal People', which began in Adelaide in 1971. There were three parts to the program; the Adelaide Aboriginal Orchestra; INMA (the Institute of Narrative and Music for Aborigines); and the involvement of Anangu Pitjantjatjaraku musicians as teachers at the Indulkana Inma Centre, at the University of Adelaide, and in schools within the metropolitan area.

The Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), as it is now known, was established as a separate unit within the Faculty of Music at the University of Adelaide in 1972, and officially established as a teaching program in 1975.

When the Centre first began it was envisaged that the primary function of the Centre would be to provide 'western-based' musical training for local Aboriginal children, and to provide opportunities for traditionally based Anangu Pitjantjatjaraku musicians (mainly from the Indulkana region) to teach traditional music to both students at the Centre and to students enrolled in Faculty of Music programs. By 1980 the programs offered at the Centre had begun to attract adult learners and even though the teaching of orchestral instruments was still an integral part of the CASM teaching program, adults coming into the program were becoming increasingly interested in musical styles such as rock, country, reggae, and blues.

By 1982 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from around Australia were applying to study at the Centre, and during the 1980s the program developed its Associate Diploma program which was formally accredited in 1989. In 1991, as an outcome of the amalgamation of the South Australian College of Advanced Education with the University of Adelaide, the Faculty of Music was restructured and expanded to form the new Faculty of Performing Arts, and CASM achieved status as one of five departments in the new faculty. In the years 1991 to 1996 CASM continued to review and refine its program offerings and in 1996 a new era began for CASM when it became a part of the Wilto Yerlo Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs Unit within the University of Adelaide.

The CASM program today is a nationally focussed one which brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from around Australia, and is unique in Australian music education in providing university level music education which is specifically designed to meet the learning aspirations and requirements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians. Graduates from CASM program are widely recognised for the high level of their musical skills, for their leadership in community development and professional activity, and for their creativity and versatility as thinkers, composers and musicians.

CASM not only contributes to many cultural events in South Australia but is also involved in conferences, festivals and cultural events around Australia and overseas. Staff and students are involved in research in areas such as Indigenous and intercultural education, Indigenous music, Indigenous performance, Indigenous composition, and Indigenous cultural maintenance and development. In 1998, CASM upgraded its facilities to incorporate a state of the art recording facility which aims to provide a focus for high level Indigenous recording. CASM is also involved in many community activities through its public performances, tours and educational workshops, and is committed through its programs and activities to the advancement of Indigenous Australian musicians and the promotion of Indigenous Australian music in all its diversity as a living and vibrant tradition.