Our chamber music group received coaching from Naoto Segawa, a former adjudicator for the competition and professional percussionist who came down from Wellington for a few days to coach us.

Each group got one session with Naoto, to get feedback and guidance.

These groups were:

Marionette Musicians: Quinn Wilson (violin), Miseki Honjo (violin),Violet Rolston (cello). Redshift Blue: Ava van Asten (flute), Damian Dyke (French horn), Ken Nguyen (piano). 

The Wintet: Emily Fotheringham (flute), Callum Fotheringham (oboe), Simon Macknight (clarinet), James Hurley (bassoon), Damian Dyke (French horn).

Cornish Pasties: Callum Fotheringham (oboe), Zoe Barton (cello), James Hurley (piano). Fluteology: Ava van Asten (flute), Emily Fotheringham (flute), Karuna Yang (flute). 

Some Pirates: Aoife Ryan Markie (violin), Aria Karetai Molinari (cello), Zane Lehr (piano). Muffliato Trio: Rose Oats (piano) plus members from other Dunedin schools. 

The Frog Dispensers: Aria Karetai Molinari (cello) plus members from other Dunedin schools.

In our session, Naoto helped us understand an important motif inside the piece, and how it shaped the listener’s experience. He went into lots of detail in going deeper into the music, telling us to not think of dynamics as loud and soft, but as wide and narrow. He gave us tips on how to practice as a group, and how to practice by yourself also. His coaching was incredibly helpful, and it gave some of us a good boost of confidence for the pop up concert that followed on the Saturday after his sessions at school.