Show & Talent introduces Australian makers of educational resources for string teachers and students. Meet the creators in this forum-style event, with a Q&A after each presenter.

The final Show & Talent for 2021 features two Australian makers of resources; Julien Dupont and Laura Carr.

Julien will take us on a tour of his  Violinopedia website, providing interesting scaffolded resources for violin, viola, cello and double bass. Laura shows us the delights of her Stringosaurus resources, designed especially for the young beginner using Early Childhood pedagogy and games!

Bookings via Trybooking

October 18, 7.30pm AEDT

7.30 – Julien Dupont: Violinopedia

7.50 – Q & A with Julien

8.00 – Laura Carr: Stringosaurus

8.20 – Q & A with Laura Carr

8.30 – Finish

Julien Dupont & Violinopedia

French violinist Julien Dupont studied in Lyon, Bruxelles, Portogruaro and Amsterdam before moving to Australia in 2004. He completed his Master of Music Studies (Pedagogy) at the Sydney Conservatorium in 2006 and started his teaching career working under the guidance of Associate Professor Goetz Richter at the Sydney Conservatorium High School and the University of Sydney.

Julien moved to Melbourne in 2008 to work with Orchestra Victoria. After two years as a full-time orchestral player, he started a private teaching studio in Melbourne.

In that same period Julien started developing Violinopedia, a method designed for beginner students, and presented his work in conferences in Australia and Europe (ESTA 2011, Fälun). 

During the last 10 years Julien has taught students at the Victorian College of the Arts, the University of Melbourne, the Australian Guild of Music and in private schools in Melbourne. He is regularly invited to play with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. 

Julien regularly travels to France to direct the Festival Des Cimes et des Notes which he initiated six years ago in the French Alps.

Violinopedia

Violinopedia is an online resource that provides educational material for string teachers to use with beginner students and ensembles in the classroom or private studio. It is available for violin, viola, cello and double bass. 

The material can be easily tailored to the individual needs of students, and is available to teachers and students through monthly or yearly subscriptions.

http://www.violinopedia.com

Content:

The platform is presented in four main sections: Learn, Practice, Songs and Resources.

Learn introduces preparatory exercises to teach basic knowledge of music notation, rhythm, LH and bow techniques.

Practice reinforces these skills and develops techniques such as shifting, double stopping and scales. 

Songs offers Level 1 repertoire including 20+ songs with preparatory exercises, sets of variations and ensemble parts. 

Resources builds on students’ skills and knowledge, enabling rapid creation of exercises and challenges for practice, performance and evaluation.

Different colours are used for each string and all instruments share the same set of colours.

This interactive and creative technology suits digital devices including tablets and computers. Each section introduces new skills in a graduated manner, with an easy to use drag and drop system inviting students and teachers to create their own exercises. All material can be shared instantly with screenshots.

Violinopedia can be used as primary material for the first year of instrumental tuition or as a valuable addition to traditionally printed material to motivate and support students within their learning journey. The content of the website is regularly updated with new material focusing on LH and RH techniques, new repertoire and ensemble practice parts.

Laura Carr & Stringosaurus

Laura started exploring her creative freedom by beginning a musical journey in the West Country, England, at the age of eight years, and since then, she has never turned back from her love for the violin.

Trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Laura discovered her passion for teaching. She is now based in sunny Perth, Western Australia.

Driven by her curiosity for Early Childhood String Education, Laura loves to recreate music in a bevy of imaginative ways to connect with children, as well as research the most rewarding musical practices and pedagogy. Due to Laura’s extensive work, she is sought after to provide professional development locally and internationally.

Laura initiated her dream project in the form of “Stringosaurus”, a signature musical set of high quality, early years teaching resources that are cherished widely, not only by her students but by violin teachers from across the globe as an online resources hub and community.

In her leisure time, Laura loves to spend time with her two mischievous girls and learns to compose musical archives with her hubby, who still has his audio wizardry skill set, right from his DJ days.

Stringosaurus

Teaching beginners is not only a huge responsibility, it is incredibly challenging to get right. Throw covid into the mix with all its uncertainties and even the most experienced teacher can end up feeling exhausted and frustrated. 

Our online resources hub contains 70+ early childhood violin, string and musicianship resources to re-invigorate you and to lighten your load. These resources are easy to implement, playful and are pedagogy gold! Your students will love the storybooks starring the 3 Stringosauruses*, not to mention the play-along videos and you will love the teacher video tutorials that are short and sweet but filled to the brim with teaching ideas.

*Stringosaurus definition: A dinosaur with a stringed instrument shaped body.

The long awaited online community and mentorship programme will also be available so you can receive the personalised support that you need for your particular students and we can share ideas and those incredible breakthrough moments. 

Membership opens on October 18th (with a special introductory offer of 50% off up to and including the 31st October).

The Stringosaurus Approach

Stringosaurus has been meticulously designed to be age appropriate, taking into consideration developmental milestones for Early Years children. Research shows the importance of play to enrich a child’s brain, body and life. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conducted a study which outlined the importance of play. It found that play reduced toxic stress and developed prosocial cognition and executive function in children. Educators are realising that play and inquiry based learning are crucial to the well being of Early Years children.

Having a curriculum that values the ‘whole child’ is vital. Through music we encourage children to develop their creativity and intelligence. Through play and by sparking the child’s imagination, we as teachers are able to form connections with our students which opens up a world of laughter and play where your students can seamlessly learn and be thoroughly engaged. Connection is the magic ingredient which is key to a beautiful learning experience.

Www.Stringosaurus.com

Bookings for this event can be made here: https://www.trybooking.com/BUNIO