AUSTA - Australian Strings Association

AUSTA Patron Richard Gill Honoured

AUSTA patron Richard Gill has recently received an Arts Leadership Award. Angus McPherson’s article, recently published in Limelight

I teach what I needed to learn

How would you make progress with this challenging student? Let

String Teaching in Groups

The teaching of stringed instruments in groups is both well established and widespread in Australian schools as in many other parts of the world. There are a number of reasons for choosing to teach strings in groups such as budgetary constraints, timetabling and staffing efficiency, integration into the school curriculum, as support and extension activities for individual tuition, ensemble experience and as broad based recruitment for orchestral programs to name but a few. However most compelling are the many benefits gained by the participants when group teaching is carried out efficiently by specialist staff. Instrumental music programs have burgeoned in…

My Pupil, My Friend

Practice and Parents

The ideal of most parents of musical children is be involved with practice in ways that maximises usefulness and minimises interference. No one knows your child the way you do – this can be a help but also a hindrance when it comes to music practice. Most teachers agree that for children of primary school age, and sometimes older, parental attendance at lessons and assistance with practice makes a big difference to the child

There

Is there any value in learning a stringed instrument? As teachers we try to inspire, and make lessons enjoyable. So much time, effort and money is spent in learning to play. Surely there is more to it than simply learning notes and tunes? How may we help our students get the most out of learning and doing the best they can? The scope of this topic is extensive. However a few factors that are of musical and non musical benefit to the student bear special mention. It takes time to get to know our students. I have found that apart…

Do I feel like Practising?

Practising is what we do for ourselves. It is solitary. It is where we work in harmony with ourselves and teach ourselves everything we will ever know. A good outside teacher is essential, and skills are learned in lessons. However it is that time on our own, where we make those skills our own, through our own brains and our own instincts – that makes the instrument our friend and the skills second nature; money in the bank to be drawn on at will. Practising is a luxury. Students often fail to realise this. In the full hormonal bloom of…