From Dharug and non-Indigenous perspectives, this paper shares stories (Philliips & Bunda, 2018) on the growth of Dharug Dhalang (language) programs in Western Sydney, Australia and the increasing role song is playing in the language revitalisation process. At the heart of this growth has been the tireless work of Bayala Aboriginal Corporation, led by Dharug language heroes Jasmine Seymour and Corina Norman, and a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous language allies (known in Dharug as ngalaya). In addition to coordinating language programs in school, community and tertiary settings, the corporation has published a media rich website, Dharug language learners E-book, Dharug Dhalang app, Bayala songbook and is nearing publication of their first Dharug language textbook. These resources have been made freely available online to encourage “family-based and personal learning” and are “not intended to be turned into a school program without the guidance and involvement of the Dharug community” (Bayala Aboriginal Corporation, n.d.).Respecting and understanding protocols for these resources is significant, particularly given music education’s history of extractive song collection practices, especially prevalent within dominant pedagogies that centre instruction around the “mother tongue”. Collectively, we discuss how we have taken an alternate relational approach to language and song learning through a series of collaborative projects between Bayala and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Through sharing the different stages of our relationship, we talk about the importance of centring reciprocity, benefit sharing and the significance of learning on Country outside the boundaries of colonial institutions. Rather than taking an extractive approach to gathering songs to meet curriculum objectives, we propose the need for educators to understand song’s function as a tool for holding culture, language and stories, as opposed to a musical product in and of itself. Ultimately, our paper challenges music educators to recast their roles as allies - or through Dharug ways and understanding ngalaya. In doing so, this has the potential to lead to deep, respectful, reciprocal relationships and far more meaningful song sharing for their students and local community.