Held on the 17th Mar 2024
JOIN US FOR THIS FREE AND ENERGISING EVENT
Teachers are amazing and fuel the passion and enthusiasm of their learners. Teachers are key to the development of our younger generation. The valuable experience they gain from working with teachers will nurture their love of the arts, their abilities as performers, and the empathy they take forward in their own lives. But all of that can be exhausting! Join us for a day of recharge and resource. We'll be sharing ideas on how to keep your own cup full, and where you can find support to maximise your teaching time.
Registration is FREE but ESSENTIAL.
Register by the due date (Sun 10 Mar), and attend on the day to go into the draw for a fantastic door prize, valued at over $350!
Who's it for? Teachers!
You don't need to be an AMEB teacher, or even focus on exams with your students. This event will include some information about what AMEB has to offer in terms of resources for teachers but ultimately, we just want to energise and support teachers for the year ahead. Oh, and non-teachers are absolutely welcome, too!
We'll be running two events so join us at whichever is convenient:
Event details
HOBART
Saturday 16 March
9:30am - 1:45pm
UTAS Centre for the Arts - Dechaineux Theatre
37 Hunter Street, Hobart
Enter via the laneway under the pink façade.
BURNIE
Sunday 17 March
9:30am - 1:45pm
Marist Regional College - music department
Paraka Street, Burnie
Parking available onsite. Follow the signs to the music block.
FREE Admission but registrations essential to manage capacities and catering.
Schedule for each event:
| 9:30am | Registration and performance from an AMEB award winner |
| 9:45am | Welcome |
| 10:00am | Guest wellbeing speaker: Maria Lurighi |
| 11:00am | Morning tea and mingle |
| 11:30am | PD for studio teachers - new Teaching syllabus explained: Dr Jody Heald AM |
| 12:00pm | Open discussion forum - how to fit everything into each lesson: Karen Smithies |
| 12:40pm | New resources overview: Michelle Forbes |
| 1:00pm | Lunch and networking |
| 1:45pm | All concludes |
Please let us know about your dietary needs and access requirements in your registration. We'll also ask which sessions you plan to attend so that we can best cater the information to the people in the room.
What's it all about? Read on to find out more about the topics and our guest presenters. We'll also have goodie bags for everyone on the day and there are bound to be plenty of great chats.
Caring for your voice
Teachers are imparting wisdom all day, every day. That's a lot of talking! Maria will share some tips for how to care for your voice and preserve it for days and years to come.
We'll also hear some fantastic ideas about how to encourage student engagement with their repertoire, and show them the exciting journey of discovery that awaits them!
Meet Maria Lurighi
To say that Maria Lurighi has over 45 years’ experience as a Singer and musician simply doesn't do her justice. Maria is in her 25th year of teaching at at the Hedberg (UTAS), and is currently the coordinator for Voice, as well as the vocal coach for the Southern Gospel Choir (since 2000). In her role at the Hedberg, she works with young indigenous artists, supporting their pathway to UTAS.
Maria has been a company artist with BigHart, during which time she performed in the ensemble for Hipbone sticking out the (Melbourne Festival) and Blue Angel (Ten Days on the Island). Maria was a past Chair of the Individuals panel for Arts Tasmania and a member of the arts advisory panel for Arts Tasmania. She has worked as Business Development Manager at Ten Days on the Island (2004 to 2009), where she currently serves on the Board. Maria has served on the Board of Tasmanian Youth Orchestra and worked as an assistant to the chair of AbaF Tasmania, Peter Althaus. From 2001 to 2010, Maria was the Business and Sales Manager for Domaine A and has since been the Director of Hospitality Operations at MONA for 9 years.
A champion for new orchestral works for voice, Maria has been the featured artist for new commissions by David Young (Overheard at Inveresk), Constantine Koukios (Olympic Spirit with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra), and Let Freedom Ring by Assoc Prof Andrew Legg. In her "spare time", Maria is also the public officer for the Discovery Orchestra.
Maria’s passion for the development of young people in Tasmania remains at the front of her commitment to her life on the island.
PD for studio teachers
There's an exciting and ground-breaking new pathway for teachers now launching and Jody will tell us all about it.The new AMEB Teaching syllabus has just been released. What makes it cutting edge? Who's it for? What will I get out of it? What does the learning program look like? All of these questions and more will be answered in this session to help inform your next professional (and personal) development choices.
Meet Jody Heald
Educated in Sydney at the NSW Conservatorium of Music High School, Jody was a student of the then Professor of Piano and Head of Keyboard, the internationally renowned pianist Gordon Watson AM. Prior to moving to Tasmania in 1981, she lived on the Central Coast of NSW where she held a lectureship at Newcastle Conservatorium and maintained a large private practice in the Gosford area.
During her years in Tasmania, Jody has undertaken further studies with Beryl Sedivka and established herself as a successful teacher, solo performer, accompanist, and chamber player. Her previous frequent public performances have included ABC broadcasts and University Series concerts. She was for a number of years the pianist for the Hobart-based Piano Trio, Trio Notturno. During 1990, she was a mentor in the Artist-in-Schools Project, working with a wide range of young musicians in a variety of performance situations.
Her successful private practice in Hobart has produced a number of professional musicians who now work throughout Australia and overseas. She maintains a currency of industry knowledge through her keen interest in piano pedagogical practice and has for many years availed herself of the opportunity to observe master teachers at work in leading music schools across Australia, and abroad.
As a professional accompanist Jody has over many years provided co-artist support and coaching to all types of instrumentalists and vocalists. She was employed in that capacity in the Music Department of Elizabeth College Hobart, for 35 years before her retirement in 2014. During that time Jody was also employed as a casual accompanist by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.
She is in demand to present masterclasses and lecture-demonstrations both in Tasmania and elsewhere in Australia. Her work embraces performance practice in all instrumental areas and specific piano teaching repertoire and pedagogy.
Jody is a regular adjudicator of many competitions throughout the country and is employed by the Australian Music Examinations Board as a federal examiner for the ATMusA syllabus and state examiner in practical and theoretical subjects. In addition, she has contributed to the AMEB as a specialist consultant in piano and pedagogy syllabus matters.
Jody is a former federal Director on the AMEB Board, former member of the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board, and former examiner for the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority. She has been the President of the Tasmanian Music Teachers’ Association Inc for more than 25 years and Chair of the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference Association since 2005. She is currently a member of the AMEB Tasmanian State Committee, a board member of Musica Viva Tasmania and a national council member of Music Australia.
In 2006 Jody was awarded Life Membership of the Tasmanian Music Teachers’ Association Inc. In 2017 she was awarded the Order of Australia with the citation “For significant service to music education in Tasmania as a teacher, mentor and administrator, and to professional associations”.
In 2020 Jody received her PhD undertaken through Curtin University Perth WA. Her thesis, entitled Pedagogical relationships: A master-apprentice model in music teaching can be found on the Curtin University archive Espace.
Facilitated discussion
There's a LOT to fit into every lesson to equip students with all the skills and knowledge they need. Whether it's foundational and necessary information, they're preparing for an exam, or simply relevant context to get the most out of their repertoire, it's hard to find time for everything.The things we know to be essential - wellbeing, aural and sight-reading skills, theory, history, technical work and so on - can often be glossed over or skipped altogether as we prioritise the repertoire or other "more engaging" pursuits in the very limited time we have with pupils.
Karen will share ideas and tips, and lead a group discussion so we can hear from each other the great ideas in the room, and possibly address some individual challenges as we go.
Meet Karen Smithies
Karen is the Associate Lecturer in Accompaniment at the Hedberg, UTAS, after relocating to Tasmania from the NSW Central Coast in 1998. Karen graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, majoring in accompaniment and performance, where she was awarded the "Mollie Neal" scholarship for excellence in Accompaniment. She has furthered her study by completing her Masters in Music Performance at UTAS in 2003, studying with Beryl Sedivka and David Bollard.
Karen has performed regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and associate artist with orchestras and vocal ensembles across NSW and Tasmania, and has made several national ABC and 3MBS broadcasts with artists such as Christian Woijtowicz (cello), Marina Phillips (violin), Romana Zieglerova (violin), Christopher Richardson (baritone), Michael Lampard (baritone), and TSO Brass and Friends.
In her role at UTAS, Karen is a busy repetiteur, and accompanist of students and visiting artists. She is also a key mentor in the University Connections Program, and enjoys teaching across the full spectrum of ages and stages.
Karen is an AMEB Examiner and continues to perform regularly as an orchestral and rehearsal pianist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, repetiteur with TSO Chorus, and with a variety of collaborative chamber music partners.
Please note: We’ll be taking some photos throughout the day to record the event, and post on social media. If you’re coming along and would rather we avoid any images of you, please let us know by 5pm Friday 15 March via infotas@ameb.edu.au.
