Ibby Mikajlo

Lyndall Hendrickson: multi-sensory pedagogue

Session: Australian concert violinist, Lyndall Hendrickson AM (1917 – 2017) was a developer of multi-sensory teaching methods. Her career included achievements as a concert violinist, war-time performer, commercial artist, violin instructor, lecturer, journalist, and teacher of language and music. Whilst overcoming polio and paralysis at the age of thirty-three, she studied theories of human performance and followed developments of cognitive neuroscience. She contributed knowledge through international and national workshops and lectures. Hendrickson analysed and sourced skill components that could resemble and transfer in their practice to high-level performance. Her most controversial approaches were writing exercises for learners to move the left hand out of first position, and to use a formulation of ‘grease’ to introduce students to new sensations. There is a vast amount of knowledge to be gained from her philosophies, and principles of learning. Selected files and materials that she developed and collated will be shown at this session.

Ibolya (Ibby) Mikajlo is currently a Doctor of Philosophy student at the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Western Australia specializing in the work of Lyndall Hendrickson. She was a violin student of Mostyn Brown, Robert Cooper, Alphonse Anthony, Sherry Kloss, Gunnar Crantz, Beryl Kimber and Lyndall Hendrickson. In 1994 Ibby completed a Master of Music Thesis on The influence of the scale of C on elementary violin instruction with supervisors Lyndall Hendrickson and Warren Bourne at The University of Adelaide. She premiered the first public performances of Malcom Fox’s “Six Miniatures” (violin and piano) for the Australian Association for Dance Education. Ibby has performed violin and viola with the Sydney String Quartet, Metropolitan State Youth Orchestra, State Opera Orchestra of South Australia, Victorian Opera Company, Sydney Opera House Trust Orchestra, New Holland Baroque Ensemble and in many other community events. Over a few years Ibby conducted the Chamber Strings for the Sydney Youth Orchestra Association and was Head of Strings at Ascham School, Sydney and Scotch College in Perth. In 1994 she completed a Master of Music Thesis on The influence of the scale of C on elementary violin instruction with supervisors Lyndall Hendrickson and Warren Bourne at The University of Adelaide. She has been a long-standing supporter and committee member for the Australian Strings’ Association. Along with her current studies, she currently works as Upper Strings Specialist for the Instrumental Music School Services in Western Australia.