AUSTA News 2025
AUSTA National Executive Committee 2025 AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Australian Strings Association Limited (AUSTA) will be held on Wednesday November 19 at 8.00 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time. Notice is hereby given that the 2025 Annual General Meeting will be held online via Google Meet on Wednesday November 19 at 8:00 pm AEDT. Members who would like to participate should contact Cara (AUSTA National...
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...
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...
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...
App-solutely Essential: TechTools for the Instrumental Music Classroom
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...
Meet some of the presenters of the 2025 Golden Jubilee Conference
Bob McWilliams
https://youtu.be/MGuXKMiiOuUHoward Penny
https://youtu.be/7R3unCEtIj8Rupert Guenther
https://youtu.be/f6zrVWo9Lh4Fintan Murphy
https://youtu.be/ZclfUdIUmzwStephen Chin
https://youtu.be/hpy46841lpIAnita Collins
https://youtu.be/ss2nBpl30-IBrian Balmages
https://youtu.be/4GGaULv28g4Soon Hee Newbold
https://youtu.be/GKCO1uh93zsKaren Kyriakou
https://youtu.be/WWTIMs8OA0YLouise King
https://youtu.be/ciHbQ4TO150Timothy Kantor
https://youtu.be/p4Kf3rcvydIWelcome 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...
The Last Violin
The Last Violin (Film Screening)
When Romano Crivici persuades retired master violinmaker, Harry Vatiliotis, to make a last violin, a heart-warming story unfolds. Charalambos Vatiliotis, or Harry, is considered Australia's greatest living violin maker. He and his wife Maria came from Cyprus in the 1950s. Romano Crivici, a professional violinist and...Cara Taggart
Cara Taggart
Technology in Instrumental Teaching In the evolving landscape of education, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing learning experiences. This presentation explores the innovative use of various applications in the instrumental music classroom, demonstrating how these digital tools can transform traditional...Dr. Emily Dollman
Dr. Emily Dollman
Integrating the latest pedagogical research to your teaching
Whether you are new to music teaching or an established teacher, discover how the AMEB Teaching Syllabuses can help you enhance your studio teaching practice based on the latest research in music...Helen Tuckey
Helen Tuckey
Engaging creativity with technical work
We all know the phrase ‘technical work’ can make even the most committed students groan. But what if we, as educators, can reframe technical work as a series of achievable milestones they can work towards in...Anita Collins
Dr. Anita Collins
Dr. Collins will present a keynote address on July 11 2025Neural Notes: How Learning Strings Shapes Our Brain Development
Learning a string instrument doesn’t just shape a student’s musical ability—it sculpts the brain in ways that support cognitive development, academic progress, social awareness, and stronger brain health. In this...La Folia
La Folia and its ensemble performance: an approach to interpretative editions HIP often provides interpretative and stylistic guides, particularly with regard to Baroque music, for student, teacher, adjudicator and professional player alike. But what of when HIP norms overlook a creative and performing tradition extending centuries? This presentation focuses on the ensemble performance of Corelli's La Folia Op5/12, highlighted by...
Marianne Rothschild
Marianne Rothschild and Lachlan Dent
The String Note tutor App and new Music for String Orchestra
I am joining forces with Lachlan Dent, Sophia Lai and Emma Rodda to present Lachlan's new string note tutor app, as well as discussing what to...Vov Dylan & Margaret Brandman
New Australian Music for Violin and Piano: HSC Core Music Requirements workshop 
Violinist Vov Dylan has been curating over recent years a series of recordings of brand new Australian music for Violin and Piano. The first release Kismet: Vignettes for Violin and Piano by Elena Kats Chernin spent 2 years in...
Howard Penny
Howard Penny
The Real Language of Music: a practice guide to musical rhetoric; bass lines rule! An introduction to elements of musical language common to all periods, as well as the limitations but also possible understandings of notation. The presentation includes a practical demonstration of exploring melodic/rhythmic/harmonic devices, and the power of...Darius Kaperonis
Darius Kaperonis
In order for young students to play violin well, they must be set up correctly. Therefore, their teacher in this initial stage will be one of the most important, often having a profound impact on their musical life. Ironically, beginner...Gregory Lee
Gregory Lee
Productive Practice: Guiding Your Students on How to Practice Effectively Have you ever had students come to their lesson claiming that they practiced, yet you notice that the problems from last week were
not fixed or seemingly forgotten? This session will...