Take A Bow | Musician

Take A Bow

Phone: +61 402 231 740

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Public figure
• Musician

23.01.2022 Just a little snippet of the beginning of a Concerto by Bach that I am playing for my music degree at the Conservatorium of music. I’m doing it for my violin exam in 14 days. Wish me luck! (P.S. this is the easiest bit - the rest gets totally crazy!!).

22.01.2022 To all my students and future students, I will now be conducting all lessons via Skype from now and into the foreseeable future. This is new territory for both myself and my students and will be a little bit of trial and error while we adjust to it this week but I am confident we can make it work!... I hope you all stay safe out there. Keep playing! We need music more than ever in times like this.

20.01.2022 Reading music forces you to focus on the present moment. When you are playing, it’s impossible to think about other things when all you can think about is the next note you need to play - as well as concentrating on how you play the instrument. So the outcome of this study makes sense. Thank you Olaf Grawert from The Violin Studio in Brisbane for sharing.

18.01.2022 Got sick of doing hours of classical music practice so stopped and broke out into this Irish jig... my comfort zone.... feels so good to hear that sound again. Makes me want to party! I encourage my students to do the same thing! #takeabow #breakitup #workhardplayhard #playwhatyoulove #balance #happyfriday

14.01.2022 A fresh study by the University of Queensland on how music can aid child development. I am attending a Neuroscience in Music conference in Brisbane this month and look forward to learning a lot more about this.

12.01.2022 SETTING YOUR MUSICAL DESTINATION When my students open their songs, I don’t recommend they simply dive into the song without first thinking about what we are aiming to achieve out of it (your "musical destination"). I help my students understand WHY we are learning a particular song or exercise whether it be to develop their intonation, rhythm, dynamics, attention to articulations, or timing. I often find it is too overwhelming to work on them all at once, but we learn them... once and for all. In my string ensembles I conduct, my students are well aware of the reasons behind why we are doing the songs we do. I put many hours into choosing songs that help develop their skills making sure they are not too easy (or they will get bored), something with a little bit of a challenge but not to the degree the song is un-playable. They know whether we are working on rhythm, intonation, dynamics, timing and what I am wanting them to achieve out of each song. By ensuring their focus is in the right place from the beginning, we are half way there. It’s like setting a musical GPS. Do you drive your car not knowing what your destination is? I didn’t think so! (But on some days it does sound nice in theory!). Keeping it fun along the way is critical. Making the effort to know your students well and understanding what lights a fire in them, really helps with the journey and the connection between teacher and student. I also like to expose my students to different genres of music along the way to find new things they like and new skills to learn... Always with the outcome in mind. Set your musical GPS with the direction you want to head expect some speed bumps along the way never losing sight of where you want to arrive. It’s not until you look back that you realise the joy is in the journey. Photo credit: Jackson Stock Photography

10.01.2022 This applies both in Music and in life. When you feel discouraged whether it be with practice or something else, we can apply a logical thought process to help us out of the ditch. I am having a particularly bad day today with mastering something on the violin for my exam soon and I am using this to get through it. Try it!... #takeabow #violinist #violin #musicteacher #violinteacher #wheretheresawilltheresaway #dustyourselfoff #breathe #onenoteatatime

09.01.2022 If your child is thinking about quitting their instrument, this is worth a read.

08.01.2022 ADULT MUSIC STUDENTS ARE ON THE RISE Just in the last 3 weeks alone, the number of adult students I have coming on board has now doubled. DOUBLED! In my experience, I have found absolutely no difference in the speed at which an adult can learn as opposed to a child. I have long said that age is no barrier. I see this all the time. ... The advantages of learning as an adult student are: - It grows your brain (just like it does a child's). Literally. Countless research and studies have proven time and time again that brain matter and connections increase when you learn a musical instrument. This can in turn help fight against brain-deteriorating diseases such as dementia and alzheimer's. These diseases can't eat as much from your brain if you literally have more of it! - It is your YOU time. Time to and for yourself. Lots call it therapy! - Adult learners often have high discipline and motivation to learn, which puts them to an advantage right from the beginning. It is a decision made by them, for them, and a commitment to themselves. - Adult students have had years more practice at learning patience that comes with life experience. Which comes in handy when you are learning music for the first time! If you are an adult sitting on the fence about learning a musical instrument - don't hesitate! If you commit and dedicate some time to it, a beautiful journey lays ahead with a major sense of accomplishment attached. I have an adult student who commenced with me 3 years ago who is currently 65 years old. She has been with me right from the beginning, and through her dedication, has now become my most advanced student out of all the students I have. How amazing is that? Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. #takeabow #violin #violinist #music #musicteacher #violinteacher #findyourforte #anythingispossible #growyourbrain

07.01.2022 SHINE WITH YOUR OWN LIGHT Just as each human being is unique - so is the sound of every single note you play on your instrument. There is no one who can play an instrument, the way YOU do. You can watch 10 violinists in a row playing the same music, but what you hear is in fact a completely unique sound from each and every violinist (or any musician for that matter), that no one else can replicate. You can even have 10 violinists all take turns playing on the same violin - bu...t that violin will produce a unique sound with each person playing it. Therefore, comparing how you play your instrument with others is like comparing apples with oranges and peas and carrots (I could go on!). Compare yourself, with YOU. Every time you play your instrument, ask yourself a few questions and compare it to how you played it last time. Did you improve? Can you do something today that you couldn't do yesterday? What did you do well? When we stop comparing our strengths and weaknesses with others, we give ourselves a chance to truly shine with our own musical identity. We can measure our progress using the same variables and keep all our apples together. Others are on their own musical journey. You are on yours. Every single Musician whether beginner or not has something special to offer the world. It's only when we compare ourselves to US... that we find the confidence to shine in our own light. #takeabow Photo credit: Nicole Hatfield Photography

06.01.2022 Even I have my bad days with practice. I’m practicing in between teaching students today and my bow, fingers and notes just aren’t working together. It would be easy to give up and beat my myself up about it. In fact, that’s exactly what I feel like doing. But I refuse to give in to the limitations of what my mind says I can’t do. There’s a saying that goes: if you say you can or you can’t, you are right both times.... I stopped and started thinking about how one day, I am not going to be able to play the violin anymore. One day, my body isn’t going to function like it is today with my fingers being able to move quickly, my arm and wrist being able to dance my bow across the strings, and my neck being able to hold my violin on my shoulder. One day, I am going to be looking back and wishing I could have just one more chance to play the violin. If practice isn’t working for you, stop, breathe and think about this for a second. When you are feeling grateful for being able to do what you do, it’s almost impossible to feel bad at the same time. Then pick up your instrument and try again. I can almost guarantee you will see the notes with new eyes if you are truly grateful enough. #takeabow #violin #violinteacher #practice #gratitude #youcan

04.01.2022 To all new potential students for 2020. Enquiries are now flooding in for next year (I am receiving enquiries every single day at the moment) and I am doing my best to get back to you all within a short time frame. Please bear with me while I am confirming lesson times which are happening in the order in which I receive them to keep things fair. Upon offering you a lesson time, I will require you to return my message or call within 48 hours to confirm or the spot on offer wil...l be forfeited. I understand that some parents would like to try before they buy and the best way to do this is to hire an instrument (for really great prices) if you didn’t want to purchase one initially. However I require a full term commitment for lessons. I do not offer refunds half way though the term for a change of mind. I strongly suggest you contact me asap if you would like your child to learn the violin with me next year to avoid disappointment. Please bear in mind I only have limited availability at this time. But as I said - will do my best! If you do miss out, I will have an active waiting list. I am highly confident that if I can’t accommodate your child in Term 1 next year, I would be able to at some point next year as things can change. So don’t be too disheartened if you do miss out in Term 1! So excited to expand my student base next year and be a part of helping grow our string community in Mackay. 2020 is going to be bigger than ever here at Take A Bow! #takeabow #violinlessons #violinteacher #mackay #bringon2020

01.01.2022 Another review - opened my page to find this lovely surprise! Thank you kindly .