Music Notes

Nicole Bull, Academic Dean of Performing Arts 

Spotlight on music staff

From our Music Department, we would like to introduce to you Ms Vanessa Neagle (Violin/Viola and Suzuki tutor). Vanessa teaches students from primary to secondary years, and also assists with both Junior and Senior Orchestras and conducts the Suzuki Intermezzo Strings. 

If you are interested in violin/viola lessons for your child, please contact the Music Department at music.admin@kilvington.vic.edu.au.

VANESSA NEAGLE -  VIOLIN/VIOLA and SUZUKI TEACHER

Vanessa Neagle teaches violin and viola as well as Suzuki Violin and the Suzuki Intermezzo Strings at Kilvington Grammar. She currently teaches at various schools in Melbourne and privately.  

Vanessa started learning violin at four-and-a-half years of age with Alita Larsens, a well-known violin teacher in Adelaide at the time. At eight years old, she toured Europe with the Silver String ensemble that Alita Larsen directed.  At the age of eleven, Vanessa received a full scholarship on single studies to the Adelaide Conservatorium of Music, Adelaide University, learning from Beryl Kimber.   

Vanessa continued her learning with Peter Tanfield and William Hennessy (previous 1st violinists in the Australian String Quartet) while studying for her Bachelor of Music and her Honours in Performance, for which she received high distinctions. Vanessa was also awarded the Distinction Prize Violin for her A. Mus. A and her L. Mus. A in violin.  

Vanessa has a very musical background on her mother’s side. Her mother is Glenys Chappell, a concert pianist who won the National ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition in 1954 (Young Performer’s Award) playing with the South Australian Symphony Orchestra (now called the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra). Her grandmother was a concert pianist, and she is related to Professor Albert Mumme, Singer, Violinist, Teacher and Composer. 

Before moving to Melbourne 12 years ago, Vanessa worked at Adelaide’s elite schools, was a member of the Zephyr Quartet and played in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for six years. Highlights over the years with the Zephyr String Quartet have included working with Musica Viva in Schools, studying with the Takacs String Quartet in Sydney, the launch of the Toyota Lexus in Seoul and playing at Ayers Rock. 

Besides playing with international pop artists and groups, other highlights with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra have included playing Wagner's epic The Ring Cycle on 1st Violin and playing for the King and Queen in Kuala Lumpur. 

VCE piano masterclass goes online 

Cindy Yi, Year 12 

On 9 September, I had the great honour of having a one-hour long masterclass with Melbourne-based Lithuanian pianist Gina Gataveckaite. During this one hour, I learnt many valuable things.  

First of all, I realised that showing my thoughts to the audience before playing brings down the overall effect of the performance. Besides this, I also gained an understanding of the importance of maintaining the overall 'mood' of the performance.  Gina also taught me delicate, micro-dynamics in detail.  

From her instructions, I was able to understand the significance of small dynamic changes and its effect upon the overall character of the piece. This comprehension has helped me especially in terms of playing Haydn’s Sonata and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue with delicacy. Overall, I had a great time with Gina and I really appreciated the opportunity to participate in this Masterclass program.  

Polish music competition  

Young musicians living in Melbourne are invited to enter the Annual Competition for Young Pianists and String players. The Competition is open to musicians 17 years and under. It incorporates three distinct age groups for audition and public performance of Polish music exclusively, from Chopin to the present day. This year, due to the extended lockdown, it has been reduced to two 

stages. 

STAGES

• Stage 1: Participant’s video/sound recordings.
• Stage 2: Final live-streamed performance with the audience, capacity permitting, at Deakin Edge, Melbourne.

AGE CATEGORIES 

• Group A - 11 years and under
• Group B - 12 to 14 years
• Group C - 15 to 17 years

INSTRUMENTAL CATEGORIES

• Piano
• Strings (violin, viola, cello)

The deadline for submitting applications and recordings is Sunday 31 October, 2021. Apply online here.

Lockdown performances 

Don’t forget to send in a link to a performance you have recorded in lockdown. All age groups and styles of music are welcome. This can be a recording of an instrumental/voice item, dance or monologue. Please send your recordings to music.admin@kilvington.vic.edu.au. 

Sounds Unheard school holiday intensive - Speak Percussion

This September, the Sounds Unheard online School Holiday Intensive returns! The annual program, focused on creativity, composition, improvisation and more, will see students composing new musical works in response to prompts from some of the world's most innovative artists in the fields of new and experimental music. 

Students will create, record and film their musical responses in their own homes. 

This program is ideal for students interested in innovation, imagination and thinking outside the box. 

Sounds Unheard is a free music education program for Victorian secondary music students, hosted by the internationally acclaimed new music organisation Speak Percussion. 

APPLICATION DETAILS 

• Dates: September 27 October 1, 2021
• Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
• Cost: Free!

To apply for the Sounds Unheard School Holiday Intensive, please fill out the online application form here.

For more information or assistance with your application, please contact Sounds Unheard Coordinator Kaylie Melville at kaylie@speakpercussion.com or 0421 922 261. 

Diary dates – Term 4 (dependent on COVID restrictions)