Humans of Carey: Darryl Barron

Head of Fretted Strings and Contemporary Groups

Beethoven once said, ‘I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others’. In my 18 years here at Carey Baptist Grammar School, I do sincerely hope that my music making and teaching brought happiness and joy to all the students and staff I have had the pleasure of working with.

Music has given me so many opportunities to further myself through tertiary study. This has included three years at Box Hill TAFE studying contemporary and jazz guitar, three years at the Victorian College of the Arts majoring in classical guitar, and two years at Deakin University becoming a qualified primary classroom teacher and then majoring in instrumental music and classroom music education at a secondary level.

Outside teaching, I have been blessed with many opportunities to share music (hopefully with lots of joy and not too many tears!) with the community here in Melbourne, throughout Australia and even in Europe and USA.

Highlights have been leading a 250-piece Mandolin Orchestra in Perth; being a featured soloist with the Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra, performing the gorgeous slow-moving tango ‘Oblivion’ by Astor Piazzolla; and, of course, the Queen musical We Will Rock You at the brand new 850-seat venue, Bunjil Place, in Narre Warren. I played the solo parts to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with nearly 1000 people singing along!

And at Carey, an amazing highlight has been the opportunity to create guitar ensembles and even a school-based mandolin orchestra – a first for Victorian schools and music programs! Students have performed works written by Australian composers to an amazing standard, which is something I am very proud of.

But teaching has and will always be my greatest highlight. You truly receive what you give as a teacher. Seeing the sheer joy on kids’ faces as they begin to strum their first chord on the guitar, the ecstatic feeling they share when they ‘slap’ the electric bass for the first time and priceless smiles when they tremolo their first few notes on the mandolin: these rewards go beyond money or any prestige. Here, music truly releases any burdens of life and shares true happiness.

As we all begin to emerge from the pandemic, please treat yourself, your friends and your family to music! Go to a Carey concert or production. Have a night at the theatre or see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Music can bring tears, joy, fun, happiness and laughter. For a moment, we get a chance to step inside the mind of the composer. Be it Ed Sheeran or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, share the moment with the composer and the performers – release your happiness!