Music Education &
Performing Arts Consultant
Barry There is a growing market for sight-reading exercises. Great to see, but it still comes down to the student doing this activity regularly. I became more than competent at sight-reading from an early age for two reasons; (1) I had an older sister who had lots and lots of music (all originals – there were … Read more
A snapshot of the huge variety of opportunities available at The King’s School.
Updated version (2011) of the handbook outlining what is on offer for students of music at The King’s School, Parramatta.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 4 (UPI) — Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may have died from a lack of vitamin D, U.S. and Austrian researchers suggest. William B. Grant of the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center in San Francisco and Dr. Stephen Pilz of the Medical University of Graz in Austria say in the 18th century, the … Read more
Notepad – Issue 7 Esquith, R., Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56, New York: Penguin Books, 2007 Largely constructed from anecdotal material collected from an impressive and extensive career in teaching, Esquith has formulated a document which should inspire and engage any teacher, young or old, who is … Read more
This is an unusual but very welcome addition to the piano repertoire for young people. It caught me by surprise as there were non of the expected names. Rather, the composers (mostly Australian or Italian) chosen for this enticing disc are Sofia Manta, Paul Smith, Holly Harrison, Ji Yun Lee, Adrian Barr, Michael Atherton, Diana … Read more
The debut album of Sydney pianist, Sally Whitwell is a couragious and landmark recording for the ABC. It shows a pianist of extraordinary skill in re-interpreting the solo piano music of Philip Glass using the equally innovative and powerful Stuart & Sons grand piano (complete with 102 keys). In the hands of Whitwell, the tonal … Read more
There are a number of aspects which make this disc intriguing. Firstly, it’s exotic musical artistry, as it blends influences of Arabic, Spanish, and world musics with, at times, a sense of classical technique, is an aural delight. Secondly, we hear two pairs of brothers combining their passion for music in an extraordinarily creative outpouring. … Read more
This stunning 2 CD set captures the passion of one of Australia’s very finest composers, Richard Mills as he conducts the MSO in four of his major orchestral works from the last 22 years. Distinguished for his operatic output (Batavia, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, and Love of the Nightingale), Mills’s engagement of the listener … Read more
Richard Strauss’ writing for orchestra and soprano is relentlessly passionate. It is a musical palette, which shows the influence of Schumann, Wagner and Liszt. Yet, it is highly personal. He was deeply in love with singing and the human voice. Afterall, he married a soprano, Pauline de Ahna (in May 1894). The three songs Morgen! … Read more