Kerin - Week 3 Music

The Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble

Early Music Education
The benefits of music education from a young age and its impact on development of spatial reasoning, fine motor skills and cognitive processes has now been proven scientifically. I must recommend a documentary called "How Music Works". It was a series on television a couple of years ago and is now available to be seen on the web. Working in musical groups also develops trust, respect and enhances skills related to compromise and negotiation.
Other inspiring documentaries that I would also recommend for understanding of the power of music to change lives are:
The Music Instinct: Science and Song and Power of Music Changes Lives by RTE Education. This documentary was inspired by a 30 year project in Karakas, Venezuela, called "El Sustaima",  where children from the slums were given free music lessons in a youth orchestra. Some went onto be world class professional musicians.
Children have the uncanny ability to absorb rhythms and tunes that take adults a lot of practice to conquer. Young children around 8 to 13 who play an instrument, can hear a tune, feel it in their mind and body and be able to play from memory in a matter of moments. Their finger to brain memory is faster acting and more enhanced.
I have been witness twice to a travelling music program in Tasmanian primary schools but don't have any contact details. I believe in house music programs in primary schools in Tasmania are quickly becoming an important area in schools as the benefits for helping disengaged students are becoming obvious. I have noted in my relief teaching that the schools in the lower socioeconomic areas often have active music programs and school bands that the students are so proud to belong to, no matter how outrageous they may be in the classroom or playground.
I look forward to being part of a music program as an extra curricular activity when I get a permanent teaching position and am also gathering children's songs and hoping to find the courage to one day soon, take my guitar into a class that I know will be challenging and difficult and give singing a test to see how the disengaged students may respond. I would be pleased to be a stringed instrument tutor in a school.

MY MUSICAL  JOURNEY

Primary School                       

Sang in the school choirs and took part in musicals and begged to be able to go to concerts that came to town.

Teens           

Got a guitar and set of lessons for my 12^th birthday. Taught myself to read music and finger pick, later ukulele, whistle and mouth organ. Loved the music of Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Peter Paul and Mary, Joni Mitchell. I wanted to choose art and music as my electives in grade 8 to 10 but they were on at the same time so chose art. Wanted to learn the piano so badly but not allowed. So with the help of a friend in the music room at school lunchtimes and after school I learnt the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. It took me a year. My Dad used to drive me to the folk club at Narrabeen from age 15. He understood as he used to play the guitar and mouth organ.

Young adult

Went to New Zealand, became very accomplished on the guitar and started teaching it to children and played with friends at parties and took part in festivals. I loved America, the Eagles, Don Maclean who I once hitchhiked 500 miles to see in concert in Christchurch and arrived half an hour before hand. Finally had some piano lessons and did grade exams, loved the music from Jonathon Livingstone Seagull which I played in concerts. Taught myself the flute and in a band where I played the flute rift in Knights in White Satin, my boyfriend played the bass guitar. It became my traveling instrument as I traveled the world as it fitted in a backpack easily. I adored Folk Club in the old University buildings in Christchurch on winter nights. There was a lot of Scottish songs and the audience rugged up in scarves and hats would sing along and create the most magic harmonies I have ever heard. Played with others during world travels and taught children to play early piano and guitar in  jobs as a nanny.

Early 30’s

A few boring years in Sydney, just played for myself but went to see Conway Brothers regularly at pubs as used to love their Captain Matchbox and the Whoopee band in the 70’s.

Tasmania

Came to Tasmania in 1990 and went to Cygnet Folk Club but it was noisy and drunken and you couldn’t hear the music. Practiced up and shyly came along to folk music nights at the Ferntree Tavern and had my turn singing and playing guitar, was part of a mandolin group and then played fiddle and accordion in Hillbilly Zen group and HOT String Band at lots of fairs, festivals,dances, parties, etc. Have joined in Irish sessions and in a bluegrass band for 3 years and had a regular spot in a café on Sundays and played traditional Tassie tunes with band called Slapdash, now called Buttongrass Serenade at parties, dances & conferences with professional musicians.  It’s a bit special getting paid for doing something you love so much. For 13 years have been adult support player with the Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble with gifted children from age 8 upwards. We play regular gigs and support for overseas and interstate groups.
I worked in an orphanage in Cambodia in Dec/Jan 2010/11, found 2 old guitars there, fixed them up and taught 3 boys to play the guitar. This has the potential to be a life changing experience for these poor and damaged children.

                                               

THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN MY LIFE

After 46 years of playing music, the role of music is a natural and integral part of my everyday life, ranging from subconscious humming while working which annoys some people, to playing in a band at a bush dance and getting paid. Sometimes I am in a situation where I have to run from one performance to the next in another group. My skills have suffered with studying over the last few years as I rarely have time to practice at home. To counteract this loss, I have become a faster sight reader. I use songs in my head to keep rhythm during physical activity. As a child, my biggest frustration was that my parents would not pay for piano lessons. I thought the kids who hated their forced piano lessons were crazy.

I play many instruments now in this later stage of my life. They have built up over the years as needed, some have gone by the way as I didn’t need them in my life anymore, some are constant as they are used to make money or play with friends or in groups or just to myself at home. My mainstays are guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo. I have a lifelong love of old timey songs and fiddle tunes from the Appalacian Mountains. I appreciate many kinds of music. 
Much of my artwork includes music imagery.
   

I have a good CD collection, I don’t play recorded music very often except when I am working on art in my studio. If I buy a CD, its all about learning a song or tune off it. I have a new violin with a traditional set up for classical music and a cleaner sound and an old one with the flattened bridge and pick up for playing the hillbilly music and gigs. My goal this year is to improve on the violin and gain an understanding of the dynamics of playing in an orchestra so I can take part in or assist in a music program in a school when I get a permanent teaching job.

Tuesday night I rehearse classical with the Derwent Strings at the Elizabeth College Undercroft, which is the training arm of the Derwent Symphony Orchestra. Next Tuesday 6th August, our guest conductor will be Marko Letonya, the artistic director and chief conductor of the TSO.

I helped with children’s learning ensemble called Valley Strings on Saturday mornings at Franklin for a few years for ages 6 to 12. For 13 years on Wednesday nights after work I play with the Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble, which is a group made up of gifted children aged 8 upwards. I am an adult support player of mainly the mandolin but concentrating on improving on the fiddle this year. We have been invited to the National Folk Festival in Canberra twice, play at most of the festivals in Tasmania and this year were support for the Celtic Fusion band Sprag Session from Cape Breton in Canada in the 10 Days on the Island Festival. We recently took part in a fund raising concert to raise money to buy instruments for Dunally School. At the end of August we play the monthly bushdance in the Wesley Hall in Hobart. The group has been about Traditional Tasmanian Music from 1840 to 1940, including tunes played by convicts and the aboriginal bands from Cape Barren Island.  Much of the music now has been written by the children and musical directors. They have many You-tube videos and have featured in documentaries about Tasmania. It has been an absolute privilege to be associated with these fabulous children for so many years,who excel in everything they do. There is virtually no behaviour management with these joyful hard working and committed children, other than to stop them playing in order to listen to new information and it amounts to the simple action of putting the violin bow on the top of your head and waiting no more than a few seconds. If only a primary classroom were that easy. My job, on occasions, has been to take charge of those who have an autism spectrum disorder and are exceptionally gifted musically but struggle with the social aspects of engaging with the other children.

   

References
YouTube - The Tasmanian Heritage Fiddle Ensemble
Wiggins, J. (2009). Teaching for Musical Understanding. Michigan: Oakland University, Centre for Applied Research in Musical Understanding.