Reaching Out: Yarning, Sharing, and Learning with First Nations Artists through Social Media

In this article, I examine the potential of social media to meaningfully connect students and educators with First Nations popular musicians. Utilising yarning-as-method under the theoretical frame of storying, I present accounts of attempts to embed the practice in high school classes before exploring how the process was refined for an initial teacher education course under the guidance of Noongar scholar Clint Bracknell. In addition, I share yarns of First Nations artists, who reveal the reciprocal benefits of reaching out and sharing back as a decolonial tool for building relationships and supporting the inclusion of First Nations music. Although centred on an Australian context, I explore themes and pose questions that aim to resonate with a global audience searching for innovative and meaningful ways to embed First Nations cultures into music curricula.