The Soundboard: The official blog of AUSTA
Celebrate AUSTA’s Birthday with Music – and Win Fantastic Prizes!
As part of our AUSTA Birthday celebrations, we’re excited to launch the AUSTA Birthday Video Challenge – a fun, creative way for string players across Australia to share their music and connect with our vibrant national community of string educators and performers. This challenge invites players of all levels to record a short performance video and post it to social media, tagging AUSTA National. It’s a chance to celebrate the joy of playing, showcase creativity, and join in the spirit of our association’s milestone year. Incredible Prizes from Our Generous Sponsors We are delighted to announce that a number of…
Quintessentially Queensland: String Repertoire That Celebrates Our Unique Soundscape
In celebration of 50 years of the Australian Strings Association (AUSTA), the AUSTA Q committee and six of Queensland’s most esteemed composers have come together to create a truly special gift for our members — a collection of new works titled Quintessentially Queensland. This commemorative project honours AUSTA’s half-century of supporting string education and performance across Australia. Each piece in the set captures a different shade of Queensland’s soundscape — from its golden beaches and rainforest waterfalls to the energy of its cities and the vibrant life that thrives between them. The Collection: Six Works that Sing of Queensland Level…
Customizing Exercises on MusicTheory.net
Customizing exercises on MusicTheory.net is an excellent way to tailor practice sessions to specific learning goals, whether you’re a student honing your skills or a teacher crafting targeted assignments. The Exercise Customizer tool allows you to create permanent links to personalized exercises, which can be particularly beneficial for reinforcing concepts in a focused manner. 1. Access the Exercise Customizer Navigate to the Exercise CustomizerLinks to an external site.on MusicTheory.net. This tool is designed for both educators and learners to create bespoke exercises. 2. Select Your Desired Exercise Choose from a variety of exercises, such as: Note Identification Key Signature Identification Interval…
Find the Emotional Connection
As the school year draws to a close, daily routines, tests, and rehearsals for upcoming concerts will no doubt take up the majority of our time and thoughts. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of everything, so I’d like to present a few thoughts on finding the emotional connection with music—and remembering why we love what we do. Look at the big picture. It may seem silly, but we do need to remind ourselves to breathe and relax from time to time. Why do we play and listen to music in the first place? I’ve heard music…
How to Maximise Resonance of Tone with Minimum Effort – Frances Gall
At the recent AUSTA National Conference, I had the pleasure of sharing a presentation that explored the many insights I’ve gathered over the years on the art and technique of bowing. Throughout my journey as a violinist and violist, I’ve been fortunate to learn from inspiring mentors such as Kato Havas, Shinichi Suzuki, Fintan Murphy, Janet Mason—who first introduced me to Louis Kievman’s Playing the Viola Physically and Mentally—and Lois Shepheard. Each of these teachers has contributed to the way I understand and approach the bow. One working title I considered for the session was The Heavy Weightless Bow, which…
Empowered Note Reading – Angela Harman
If you haven’t yet discovered the brilliance of Angela Harman’s work, you’re in for a treat. Angela is widely known for her innovative, classroom-tested strategies that make string teaching more engaging, effective, and joyful. In today’s post, she dives into one of the most vital—and sometimes overlooked—skills for young musicians: note reading. With her signature blend of practicality and creativity, Angela shares a treasure trove of tools and approaches that empower students to read music with confidence and curiosity. Empowered Note Reading by Angela Harman (www.orchestraclassroom.com) As my beginning students practice reading music, I scan the room, looking at their…
App-solutely Essential: TechTools for the Instrumental Music Classroom
As instrumental music teachers, we often find ourselves juggling the roles of conductor, administrator, technician, and creative coach—often all before 9am. Whether you’re managing rotating timetables, prepping ensemble sets, communicating with families, or trying to squeeze a theory quiz into a 30-minute lesson, digital tools can make or break your day. This blog post is a curated collection of the digital apps that have become absolute lifesavers in my music teaching practice. Four Categories of Use Thinking about your app choices through these four lenses can help you balance efficiency and creativity: Teaching & Learning – Tools that support skill…
Looking Back, Playing Forward
Welcome to The Soundboard, AUSTA’s new blog dedicated to amplifying the voices, stories, and ideas that shape our national strings community. In this first edition, we begin by looking back, playing forward—honouring our past as we move confidently into the future. We’re proud to feature “Living Treasure: Elizabeth Morgan AM”, an article originally published in Stringendo, Vol. 48. Elizabeth Morgan AM stands as a pillar in AUSTA’s history—a visionary educator, leader, and advocate whose work helped establish the very foundations of our association. In this special interview, she reflects on the early days of AUSTA, sharing her memories of its…
Welcome to the AUSTA Blog
Inspiration. Ideas. Community. Welcome to the AUSTA Blog—a space for Australian string teachers, performers, students, and makers to connect, share, and grow together. Here you’ll find teaching tips, interviews with inspiring musicians, reflections from classrooms and studios, introductions to new music and resources, and stories from across our vibrant national community. Whether you’re just starting your journey or have decades of experience, the AUSTA Blog offers something to spark your curiosity, support your teaching, and celebrate the shared passion that binds us all: string music.