What the Committee looked forward to at the National Conference

Hamish Paterson, Helen Holt, James de Rozario, Janet Fernandes, Miranda Bell

Howmany AUSTA National Conferences have you been to?

Hamish: I’ve been to five national conferences now.

James: I have been to five AUSTA Conference and enjoyed every single one of them!

Janet: Seven.

Miranda: Ask me this time in July and it will be one!

When and where was your first and last AUSTA National Conference?

Helen: My first was in Brisbane 2006 and the last one was 2018 in Perth.

James: First was Brisbane 2006, last was Perth 2018.

Janet: First was in Canberra 1985, last was in Perth 2018.

Describe an inspiring moment from an AUSTA National Conference.

Hamish: Hearing Richard Gill’s keynote speech in Brisbane 2015 was very inspirational. A passion for music education built upon the similar stories of an earlier teaching career that we’ve all experienced.

James: I don’t think I realised how big the string teaching community was until I attended Brisbane 2006. I felt that I had finally found my people and was so inspired by the many presenters. I remember returning to work with a sense of excitement and determination!

Janet: Watching Graeme Abbott run an outstanding conducting workshop at my second Canberra conference. Even though I was only in the orchestra that the participants were conducting, learnt so much from watching them putting Graeme’s advice into practice. I had new ideas to try out on my return to school.

Describe an unexpected moment from an AUSTA National Conference.

Hamish: An unexpected moment was Keith Crellin lending me his Arthur Smith viola at the 2009 Perth conference for a new string music session. A lovely instrument and a kind act by Keith who would not have known me from Adam.

James: Coming across old friends from university, old colleagues and meeting people who I had only heard about. I was very excited to meet them!

Describe a funny story from an AUSTA National Conference.

Helen: Having our plane held up getting to Perth/ Fremantle. We arrived at 2 am and of course our booked transport had well and truly gone home. We had to ring them and get them out of bed to come and pick us up. They were very nice about it.

Janet: Sharing accommodation with three other delegates and finding that we were booked on the 65th floor of the Quest apartments in Brisbane. It had glorious views, especially at night.

What has been challenging in the preparation of the upcoming AUSTA National Conference?

Hamish: Planning around a pandemic that actually hasn’t ended yet.

Helen: Not knowing if it would be face-to-face or online. And choosing a conference satchel! We have gone with an environmentally friendly one. hope everyone likes it.

James: COVID, COVID, COVID. The great C has provided challenges in getting a venue, locking in presenters, locking in a firm budget...the list goes on!

What would be your tips in planning a big event such as this?

Hamish: Start planning early and spread the jobs around. Nobody wants to be running around stressed in the last 24 hours.

Helen: Make sure that you do the tasks needed each week. A list of tasks and a timeline keeps things ticking over. And documenting things well – our work from this Conference is now on OneDrive for the next committee to work from.

James: Have good people around you. Karen Kyriakou and Helen Holt are amazing people. The Victorian Committee has also been incredibly helpful and supportive.

Which presenters are you most excited to see?

Helen: So many where do I start! Yvonne Frye – even though she is a violinist and I am a cellist, she has great ideas that can be transferred to anyone’s teaching. Daniel Carner – I have really enjoyed his articles in Stringendo and I am looking forward to hearing him.

James: Our keynotes are especially impressive and I am really looking forward to the conversations that they will inspire! As I get older, my body seems to hurt, so I’m also interested in the session on shoulder pain!

Janet: Ed Le Brocq – I have just read his most recent book and I love the passionate way he writes about music and teaching.

Miranda: I always enjoy hearing Fintan Murphy, Deborah Cheetham and Josie Vains speak. The sessions presented by Edith Salzman and Elizabeth Scott also look interesting to me.

Professionally, what do you hope to achieve at the upcoming Conference?

Hamish: I remember some years ago at a Sounds Great conference in Melbourne, one of the international presenters pointed out that we will be faced a dozen or so new concepts/methods over the course of the conference. They pointed out that if you try to implement all of them in your teaching at once, it would just leave you muddled and frustrated. Taking away and implementing one new concept or method

Miranda: I can’t wait to hear the results of what I will learn at the Conference in the performances of my students, and of my own. I know this will take months for me to process things that I pick up at the Conference.

Socially, what do you hope to achieve at the upcoming Conference?

James: Catch up with old friends, meet new people and to hopefully share my experiences with new, emerging teachers!

Janet: I am looking forward to hosting a very dear friend I haven’t seen since the 2018 conference in Perth.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s AUSTA National Conference?

Hamish: I’m looking forward to seeing the keynote musical games, technology, repertoire...plus catching

From the daring beginner to the accomplished professional, we are proud to support and inspire all level of musician.

Why do we attend conferences?

Miranda Bell

Now quicker than ever, we can access information at the click of a button, read blogs, listen to podcasts or follow someone on Instagram. We can catch up with people over Zoom, dial multiple people into meetings across the world, and when you don’t know how to do something, you ask Google or YouTube. So why attend a conference?

Well, here are a few key reasons why attending an in-person conference can be more important than you think.

Energise yourself

You can’t pour from an empty cup! And the last two years have seen us pouring, and pouring, and pouring, with minimal refills. Through rigorous

Invest in your practice

Refine your own practice by honing skills and pedagogy at an in-person conference. Whether paid for by your employer or by yourself, attend a conference where you can curate your own conference schedule based on your areas of interest and improvement.

Meet that person you’ve read about

Hearing our presenters speak about their specialist areas can be inspiring and offers you opportunities to ask questions and pick their brains, so to speak.

Meet people you haven’t read about!

So, you’ve met the people whose composed the music you play with your beginner string group, but what about other attendees? The AUSTA National Conference will provide many social opportunities, from Dinner. Creating professional relationships and networks outside of your own workplace can