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Stephen Chin
Stephen Chin Scales for Violinists and Violists – Creating and Building Relevance In this presentation, I will be exploring the concept of the nurturing aspects of scales, including body memory and how various aspects of technique, relevant temperaments, musicianship and expression can be developed. Publications including those of Geminiani (1751), the Franco-Belgian School through to Flesch, Galamian, and more recent offerings will be briefly reviewed. The notion of using scales to build a technique and also choosing scales relevant to current repertoire will be examined. Please feel free to bring your instrument for a fun hands on experience. About Stephen…
Curt Thompson
Curt Thompson Double Stopping: How Migration Shaped the Careers of Australia’s Celebrity Violinists. This presentation highlights the recent publication of a 12-chapter book (8 authors contributing) published by Bloomsbury NY on a dozen violinists of international importance that came to, from or through Australia. This is part of a major research initiative called the Australian National Violin Project and it is based at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, although it most certainly involves the conservatories of Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and the University of London. While it doesn’t fit into a particular category, it is of national and international…
Josephine Vains
Josephine Vains Demystifying Improvisation This presentation seeks to demystify the use (and abuse) of improvisation by the modern string player, and to explore how we as teachers can inspire using improvisational ideas in our teaching. Suited to intermediate and advanced students, this presentation gives practical advice and examples of how to free oneself from the dots, approaching music-making with playfulness, stylistic integrity and courage. Specifically looking at improvisation as interpretative tool for music from the baroque through to the 19th century, this presentation will comprise three parts: A broad overview of historical approaches to improvisation from the baroque period through…
Joanna Fairs-Wu
Joanna Fairs-Wu Round table discussion with focus on Regional Teachers Round table discussion for regional teachers to voice the challenges and successes of teaching in regional areas whether as a private studio teacher ,in schools or as part of a regional music school or conservatorium. Topics : What do AUSTA state chapters do currently to support regional teaching and what other support would be helpful. What are the challenges for regional teachers as opposed to metropolitan teachers. How to create opportunities for connectiveness and collaboration within regions and also with metropolitan teachers . How to best provide PD and mentoring…
Rupert Guenther
Rupert Guenther Self-Esteem Wellbeing & Healing Stage-Fright Rupert Guenther’s Self-Esteem Wellbeing & Healing Stage-Fright is a completely new break-though approach to overcoming stage-fright (performance anxiety). It is exactly the opposite of almost everything performers are being encouraged to do, and is based on bringing every aspect of playing and teaching music into a delightful and self-healing experience for the musician, teacher or student. It starts by taking us to a place of being receptive, open and listening when we perform, and by including far more in our awareness instead of excluding and locking things out only to tighten into a…
Janet Davies
Janet Davies Somatic education in string teaching using Alexander Technique principles Somatic education, which trains kinaesthetic sensitivity and perceptual accuracy, should be crucial in string teaching, as movement and sensory perception are fundamental to our art. Additionally, changes in bodily organization can directly affect the quality of musical performance. Some specific areas which can be informed by somatic training are: – Spatial awareness, bow distribution and direction, fingerboard geography – Accuracy of aural perception – Calibration of necessary force – Organisation of optimal balance and efficient movement patterns. The Alexander Technique (AT) is a form of somatic training often used…
Evgeny Sorkin
Dr. Evgeny Sorkin Beyond the AMEB grades: Mastering Leap to Diploma level exams Many teachers ask me how my students consistently progress from AMEB Grade 4-5 to successfully pass AMus and LMus level exams in a short period of time. In this presentation, I will share the strategies, repertoire choices, and working solutions that enable this rapid yet thorough development. The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) provides a structured pathway for violinists, but bridging the gap between the intermediate grades and diploma levels requires a refined approach. I will explore how to develop technical fluency, interpretative depth, and performance confidence…
Robert Harris
Robert Harris Play to Learn: we ‘learn to play’ but can also ‘play to learn’. Using examples of his own Cafe Viola gatherings and his tutorial links to the ACMS Amateur Chamber Music Society’s activities Robert Harris discusses varied projects, in Australia and elsewhere, which afford string players – young or young at heart; honorary (as in unpaid) enthusiasts or professionals (hopefully also enthusiastic?) – the opportunity to play for pleasure: at-home social music-making, out-of-the-house rehearsals, public performances. Yet all such playing time can also be learning time – self-help “solo” or with friends, guidance from teachers and tutors, or…
Jacqueline Webber
Jacqueline Webber Care and Maintenance for String Educators Just like cars, string instruments require regular maintenance to ensure they are working efficiently and effectively. During this workshop, attendees will gain vital skills in adjusting and correctly servicing different parts of their instrument, and the instruments of their students. The workshop will cover cleaning, conditioning, correctly tuning and bridge positioning, as well as more complex problems. Attendees will leave being able to identify issues relating to tone, buzzing and rattling, and the knowledge of how to complete minor fixes themselves. These skills can fundamentally change the way that strings teachers manage…
Stuart Johnson
Stuart Johnson Unlocking the Alto Clef: Essential Resources and Strategies for Fluent Music Reading Reading the alto clef fluently is a crucial skill for violists, yet many students and even some professionals struggle with consistent fluency. This session will explore effective resources and strategies for mastering the alto clef, examining the cognitive processes involved in sight-reading and music literacy. Drawing on research from music education and psychology, including studies from Psychology of Music and the Journal of Research in Music Education, we will discuss the importance of structured alto clef pedagogy, sight-reading techniques, and the role of pattern recognition in…
Louise King
Louise King Teaching Adults: Building a Thriving Community Class Program for Lifelong Learners Adult learners are a growing yet often under-served demographic in string education. Based on Case studies, research and experience from the Cello Dreaming community class program, this presentation by Louise King explores effective strategies for engaging, motivating, and advancing adult string players in independent studios, community groups through face-to-face meet-ups and online settings. Topics include: – Pedagogical Adaptations: How to balance technical development with the cognitive, emotional and physical development of adult learners. – Motivation & Mindset: Overcoming performance anxiety, perfectionism, procrastination and self-doubt in adult students….
Yuri Djachenko
Yuri Djachenko Colourstrings – Workshop on skill development Zoltán Kodály advocated a thorough music education with singing while simultaneously building aural skills, intellectual understanding and emotional development. His philosophy has also been harnessed in instrumental music teaching. Colourstrings is a translation of Kodály’s concepts to string instruments and was founded in Helsinki in 1971. Just as Kodály’s programmes have spread beyond Hungary, so too has Colourstrings from Finland. One of the most successful places Colourstrings has been transplanted to is Australia, where it was first taught in 1980 by violinist Judy Fromyhr. She inspired Helen Holt to become the first…
Karen Kyriakou
Karen Kyriakou The Magic in the Method Book Many method books offer the ‘nuts and bolts’ but their application in Australian instrumental programs likely differ in context from the USA and UK. This session looks at using method books in creative and collaborative ways; arranging, composing, harmonising, developing aural skills etc, giving students greater agency in their classes and allowing real-life musical skills to flourish. Students benefit by developing musical intuition and understand ‘music’ beyond the printed page. The method book is an affordable volume of repertoire which can be used more playfully that one may initially expect. Classes can…
Helentherese Good
Helentherese Good Empowering Students towards Personal Growth: Attitudes, Words, and Responses to create Acceptance and Safety in Teaching Spaces It is no secret that playing a string instrument is hard! So it makes sense to ensure that the environment in which such learning is expected to take place should be free of mental stress, that is, it should be psychologically safe. Psychological safety means that it is safe to disclose opinions with others, to openly disagree, or to offer negative feedback upwards, without concern for future repercussions. This type of environment allows every participant to share creative ideas, to admit…
Olivia Mou
Olivia Mou “Keep your instrument in the case” – Expert musicians’ non-play practice strategies for string students Practice is critical to shape expertise and performance readiness. But what sets expert string players apart in their practice? How do experts approach the task and manage their demanding schedules? Expert practice begins long before entering the practice room, is planned thoughtfully, and may or may not involve touching the instrument. I will investigate the concept of non-play practice and its critical role in musical training. Expert musicians employ non-play strategies to study the score, develop their interpretation, refine technical control, and prepare…
Zoë van Drunen
Zoë van Drunen The string ensemble class – just an instrumental lesson for a group? Combining the learning from instrumental lessons, classroom music, and orchestral rehearsals into curriculum-based string ensemble classes. What makes a string ensemble class unique? How does it differ from private lessons, classroom music, or orchestral rehearsals? We will examine its role in a school setting and discover practical strategies to support student learning across all orchestral string instruments within the same class. Let’s enhance our pedagogy as string teachers by thinking beyond instrumental lessons and orchestral rehearsals. Are there other contexts and opportunities for skill building…
Marcel Trusell – Cullen
Marcel Trussell-Cullen Using AI to rethink violin technique: A Retrospective Study of Leading Violinist’s Videos Could empirical data extracted from videos of leading violinists change our ideas about violin-playing technique? Might these long-held ideas about violin technique be inaccurate? This research seeks to understand how leading violinists produce their sound by using AI to diagnose their playing techniques. It is suggested that the use of empirical data such as this may be a more accurate guide to how to play well than received wisdom based on conjecture. A range of software applications were used to extract 3-dimensional movement patterns from…
Emily Sun
Emily Sun @ AUSTA 2025 Golden Jubilee Conference Masterclass and recital performance, July 13 2025 Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music 11.30 am, Violin Masterclass, Verbrugghen Hall – Emily Sun, Violin Professor, Royal College of Music, London 2.15 pm Recital Emily Sun (violin) & Joseph Havlat (piano) G. Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op. 13 E. W. Korngold: Much ado about nothing – Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 11 K. Szymanowski Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 9 Book tickets here Emily Sun “Possessed of a superb talent” (The Australian) with “a searing and…
Fiona Portway
Fiona Portway Tips and Tricks for Teaching Beginner Violin Over the years, I have noticed many teachers, even those with years of experience, can feel hesitant about taking on preschool violin students. This presentation, Tips and Tricks for Teaching Beginner Violin, will support teachers to feel confident in helping these youngest students get off to a great start on their musical journey. Filled with practical ideas and suggestions you can use in your next lesson, this presentation will cover ideas to help with set up and posture, pre-reading activities, and sequential skill development for our youngest violinists. While this presentation…
Adele Ohki
Adele Ohki Small Ensembles, Big Impact: The Power of Junior Chamber Music Programs A junior string chamber music program implemented in a school-based environment offers the benefit of significant musical, cognitive, and social interactions. Several programs in the U.S. (Chamber Music Centre of NY, Kneisel Hall) and in other places overseas (Guildhall, Oxford, Verbier) have successfully implemented junior chamber music programs, and they have showcased effective models for fostering young musicianship and collaboration. There is no reason we can’t do this in Australia and embed it in private/public schools! When studying chamber music, students develop enhanced ensemble skills, improved intonation,…