BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Music education matters.
Whether you first picked up an instrument at school, you’re working full-time in an orchestra, or you’re just entering your industry training, it’s likely you share the sentiment.
The airing of music education program Don’t Stop the Music on ABC resonated so strongly with Australian audiences that they donated more than $60,000 and 4,000 instruments to the benefit of schoolchildren. The legacy of music education advocates and activists such as the late Richard Gill have inspired generations of musicians to teach, and share their knowledge of music with students young and old. Australia can no longer turn away from the knowledge that children who sustain music education throughout their school years will experience permanent benefits to their brain, advancing their language and problem-solving skills.
In this new series Music education matters, we team up with a leading Australian educational institution to find out how music education can help shape lives.
Speaking with talent from the Australian National Academy of Music, we introduce you to practising industry figures – emerging and established, performing and teaching – so we can discover the true stories behind the power of music education.
Music education matters, says Virginia Taylor, flute
About Virginia: After winning the National Australian Flute Competition and the ABC Young Performer of the Year awards, flautist Virginia Taylor has gone on to perform with almost all symphony orchestras in Australia. She’s also travelled across the continents to perform in festivals and as a soloist, and was principal flute of the Australian Chamber Orchestra for more than a decade.
As a music educator, Virginia has guest lectured at international universities, and spent more than 25 years as an associate professor of her instrument at the Australian National University. In 2013, she commenced her position as a flute artist at ANAM.
Tell us about your upbringing with music education. What do you feel to be some of the defining moments during your music education as a child?
My earliest lessons were on the recorder, with a nun at the local Catholic school. I remember I really enjoyed this and, after a year, I was taken to private lessons on the recorder and sat a couple of AMEB exams.
Within a year or two, a shiny flute was offered to me, and somehow my destiny was set.
I loved playing the flute, disliked practising scales, and really loved playing in front of any willing audience. Sadly, my audience was few and not often. On occasions, my father would traipse across Sydney with me to the North Shore, where I could perform in a class at the local flute society. At the end of year 10 in high school, I secretly took myself off to do an audition for the Conservatorium High School.
Somehow I passed the audition, and once the letter of offer had arrived, there was no stopping me.
I suspect, had I not found this opportunity, I may well not have realised my dream. My new high school opened up so many opportunities, and from that moment I was hooked.
The daily commute of 1.5 hours each way to school was insignificant compared to the concerts and masterclasses I could attend at the con. Within two years, my flute playing had really begun to develop and during year 12, I had the opportunity to play with the Australian Youth Orchestra, as well as attend a summer school at the University of Southern California at Idyllwild.
How do you feel a music educator is responsible for a young person’s passion for music? In what ways can a teacher make or break a young student’s interest?
So many of the wonderful musical times in my education were because some particular person believed in me, or gave me an opportunity to step up and try something which would perhaps take me out of my comfort zone. I realised pretty early on that how this was handled was so important as to whether I could believe in myself or, adversely, feel too overwhelmed by the challenge.
As a teacher now, I often reflect back on these specific times in my own education. As educators, we have the power and skills to encourage holistic growth of a human being. This, in turn, allows an individual to find their strengths and therefore become strong enough to tackle difficult challenges.
Teaching is a two-way journey. It is important for us, as educators, to listen and learn from our own students. The better we understand an individual, the more we are able to help them develop in whichever way best suits their own particular journey.
Mutual trust allows for huge journeys to be tackled, and goals achieved.
At what point did you realise you wanted to take what you’d learnt about music and form it into a career path?
Music was a part of my life from an early age, and I recall listening to Beethoven symphonies with my father in our living room on his old 33RPM vinyls. It was not until I was probably about 16 years old that I really knew I would like to play the flute as a life choice.
From then on, I really loved every opportunity I was given to develop my playing skills, and owe so much of my love of music to many of the [mentors] who inspired me along the way.
Why did you decide to pursue higher music education, and how important is it for musicians to continue further study in order to achieve success in their careers beyond the ‘piece of paper’?
These days, there is definitely more of an emphasis on having a valued ‘piece of paper’ with confirmation of tertiary or post-graduate study. In today’s world, career paths change and an undergraduate degree can be a useful tool to move upwards, as can a PG diploma or degree.
On the other hand, many young musicians achieve success through competitions, or simply through their own ability to be able to perform at an excellent level when needed; be it in front of a panel for a job or in a solo performance situation.
This said, the benefits of going to university cannot be underestimated. University is not just for obtaining a piece of paper. University is a chance to learn, grow and experience. Time spent with students who become future musical colleagues, and the experiences gained through time spent at university, can be the foundations of years of music making.
What have been some of your strongest needs as a musician?
Each student has different needs, and it is important to listen and understand the goals and wishes of the student; along with carefully guiding them and helping to equip them with all the technique they will need to be able to achieve their own specific goals.
Importantly, technique is of fundamental importance and, no matter what pathway a student wishes to pursue, technical familiarity on any instrument is of the utmost importance. The earlier technique can be developed, the better!
Performance itself requires strong mental focus, and an ability to manage under pressure. This also requires consistent training, and the opportunity to experiment under pressure and learn about oneself in tough situations. We are fortunate to have a growing field of specialists who are equipped to work with our students in this area.
Playing any instrument for many hours a day can be a very lopsided business, physically, for our bodies. Care and understanding of our bodies is of paramount importance in order to be able to sustain a long career as a performing musician. This is an area that can be difficult to comprehend for young people, as when we are young, we tend to think our bodies will last forever. Not so! The better care and understanding we have of the mechanics of our physical body, the greater longevity we can sustain as performers.
There’s been a lot of dialogue about the importance of music education in Australia. How do you think music education can benefit the community as a whole?
Music education is the right of every child, not just a privileged few. For Australia to really achieve this, music education needs to be in every classroom from kindergarten to beyond. Teaching music in the classroom requires teachers with very specific education and knowledge. It is not enough to expect a general teacher, who has had just a few weeks of training, to be able to teach and sustain music curriculum in the classroom. Music is its own unique language, and therefore needs specialists teachers in order to be taught well.
As a society, we will benefit in the future if we can nurture generations of creative thinkers. Of course, as the converted, we have all read articles about the positive value of music on a child’s developing brain. Beyond this, creation of, and participation in, musical activities is such a joyful part of life that it should be encouraged by our leaders for all young people.
What advice would you give to musicians to help them get the most out of their educational experiences?
Take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that are provided for you. Listen to as many concerts and performances as possible, and support your cohort of colleagues by listening to their concerts, too. It is important for all of us to remember that in the relatively small world of music, our colleagues, while we are students, become our professional colleagues when we progress into the professional world. Be a team player; be considerate and professional in your behaviour while you are a student. Your student colleagues may one day be the very people who will book or not book you for an important concert.
Don’t be late to rehearsal! Yes, that sounds pretty much like a no-brainer, but it does happen on occasions and when it does, it really lets others down.
Aside from the individual hours of practice we do on a daily basis, don’t underestimate the power of listening to a wide variety of teachers. Some of the most profound lessons I have received have not been from flute players, but perhaps from a violin or piano masterclass.
Most importantly, be forever curious. This way, you will not stop learning. This is one of the great joys of being a musician.
See music educators and emerging performers in action at the ANAM Opening Concert, 7.30pm March 2 at ANAM, South Melbourne Town Hall.
We’re teaming up with ANAM throughout 2019 to share these interviews in our series Music education matters.
Stay tuned as we prepare to bring you more of the personal stories behind music education in Australia.
Images supplied. Credit: Pia Johnson.
