The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) establishes standards in music and speech education throughout Australia. Through its nationwide system of syllabuses and examinations, the AMEB promotes uniform standards of teaching and methodology. The AMEB originated in 1887, when a program of music examinations was initiated by the Universities of Adelaide and Melbourne. In 1918 the New South Wales State conservatorium of Music and the Universities of Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia joined the founding institutions to constitute a national body. AMEB was reconstitued in 1964 by an agreement between the State Ministers for Education. In Tasmania (as in Queensland) the responsibility for AMEB within the State moved from the University to the Department of Education, which established the School of Music to carry out these and related functions. The School was reconstituted as the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music (TA 764) in 1965. From 1969 to 1980 it came under the control of the Council of Advanced Education and since 1981 it has been a College of the University, thus returning AMEB (Tasmania) to its original home. As well as formulating and co-ordinating national music and speech syllabuses and examinations, the AMEB is involved in a range of related activities including publishing, special research projects in areas such as aural testing, assessment strategies and theoretical music studies, and the development of new syllabuses based on evolving educational principles and practices. AMEB (Tasmania) contributes to the range of activities outlined above, disseminates information within the State, and organises examinations: where necessary scheduling visits by interstate examiners. The main correspondence series relating to the establishment and operation of AMEB in Tasmania is found in AE463/1/26-45