Violin teacher at Merrin

It has been a pleasure to teach music at Merrin school since 1978 to 2015 in various roles. Seconded from primary school teaching at Westburn,to be a music specialist for contributing schools to the Burnside High music scheme, now called SMP,
my role at Merrin was to start an orchestra, take the Festival choirs and teach classroom music.The orchestra visited the kindergarten the first year and delighted the preschoolers.

From Oct,1980- Jan,1985 it was off to Essex, England with my husband and 9 month son. There I taught private piano, violin, classroom music , maths in a primary school and a High School and was a violinist in the Harlow Symphony orchestra.  Loved attending operas concerts, musicals and art galleries in London and visiting my ancestor's William Shakespeare's home town, Stratford-upon Avon.

Back home in NZ one week , now with 2 boys, (and eventually 4 boys,and 2 grandsons), I was invited to take Merrin orchestra again and also teach violin traditional classes.  After a term, decided to teach Suzuki violin method at Merrin .One of my initial beginner pupil's Louis Miyazawa practised a fabulous 7 days a week and he became a Suzuki violin teacher at 17 .

Besides teaching violin, piano and theory at Merrin, I teach at Cobham and the CHCH School of Music and at home.

A personal musical highlight in 1990 was when I toured Europe for 6 weeks with the CBS orchestra and choir playing composer's masterpieces in their own churches including the Vatican.The audience at Notre Dame gave us a standing ovation as we walked out on the red carpet.( It was a snowy day, as cold inside Notre dame as out and the Church organ was so flat with note g sounding like note A, that the NZSO oboist found it difficult to play down a tone and our violins were affected too.)

Other musical moments in my life I warmly remember are Opening the CHCH Town Hall for the very first concert with the Mahler 8th, Symphony of a thousand , and the opening of the Commonwealth Games at QE11, both events singing with the great CHCH Royal Society Choir.

A delightful event for the children post earthquake, Oct 2011 was when I arranged a"cheer up trip " to Orana park and the Orangutans tried to imitate our violin bows after they had finished hooting (singing, which was louder than the aeroplanes which passed overhead.)

When there is time, I enjoy looking after my NZ grandson, growing roses, genealogy, playing 1st violin in the Canterbury Philharmonia, photography and taking my 92 year old mother to art films such as Metropolitan operas, Shakespeare plays,and films of trips to Art galleries. (Loved the film of ' Boy Choir' )

All children have ability if they are encouraged and fostered.One of my pupils is totally deaf but has limited hearing( like white noise) with an implant. She is enjoying learning violin.

Teaching children music is a joy and I look forward to enriching more children's lives.