ABSTRACT
The benefits of house museums as places that can provide object- and place-based visitor experiences and related pedagogical opportunities have long been recognised. The Dowling Songbook Project ran between August and October 2016 and offered an opportunity for the tertiary and museum sectors to combine resources to create a temporary research and interpretation space. Since the early 1980s, education programmes at Sydney Living Museums have facilitated access for young audiences to the house museums, historic sites, and collections under the institution's care. All performers commented on the benefits they saw in the use and location of the instrument, and they were cognisant of its effect on their approach to their own instrument. The interaction with the audiences for the three performances given by the students in the Drawing Room was more directed. The combination of object- and place-based teaching strategies in a historical musical setting elicited some strong responses from the students.
