Canberra Orff Chapter - Brent and Michael Present

On Saturday August 14, 2010, Michael Nichols and I presented a full day workshop for the Orff folks around Canberra, Australia.  Some folks drove in from Sydney, most were from around the Canberra area.  My topics were "Beginnings: How to Start Musical Activities" and "Jump, Jive, and Jazz: Jazz as Elemental Music."  Michael presented: "Spirituals and Folk Songs" and a short presentation about beginning the recorder.

Susan Curbishley organized the meeting which was held a the beautiful new Radford College school in downtown Canberra.  The facility was perfect and well equipped.  Michael and I were able to use our Keynote visuals, which turned out to be a very popular technique.  Our care with the visual learners in the workshop was very well appreciated.  Here's a comment from an attendee,

"I loved the way that he catered for the visual learners too with the written music on the screen – that was like an epiphany for me as other presenters/experts insist we only cater for the aural learners (and I discovered yesterday that I am a visual learner because I really appreciated the music on the screen – it enabled (and empowered) me to enjoy the activities rather than stress because I take ages to learn things aurally)."

The first session was concerned with beginning activities, not so much as to present for beginners, but rather how to begin various aspects of the music curriculum.  Sections were presented on beginning listening, beginning recorder, beginning a general music class with a name game, beginning singing and beginning choir activities.  Michael presented the beginning recorder activities from his new book, "Let's Sing and Play a Dozen."

After lunch I did a short presentation on the idea that jazz and the blues can be a great vehicle for improvisation and that these two great American styles of music are elemental and can be used to teach important musical concepts.  We started with some question/answer style improv using "scat" singing and body percussion and moved from there straight into the blues.  We learned a tune first (Corayluz Blues), then added the bass and the chords.  You can download a copy of the notes for presenting the blues to a general music class here.


Michael finished the day by presenting several of the songs in his book "Spirituals and Folk Songs." Another comment: 

 "And I thoroughly enjoyed Michael’s recorder work also, and would have loved to see more. He had an inclusive style about him as well, as the participant beside me had never done recorder before and was so pleased that she could play a song after that first session. I too picked up new ways of teaching the recorder to young kids.

Thank you so much – the workshop was brilliant!!"

 Everyone enjoyed the songs as well as the day. Here's another comment from a participant: 

"I was so impressed by the teaching style of Brent – the best of anyone I have experienced in ages (maybe ever). I loved the way that he taught at many different levels, and was totally aware of every person in the room. When he saw that people were struggling (like me!!) he went back a few steps so everyone could feel they had achieved success. Very few presenters do that – they continue on and ignore the strugglers, but it just proves how much of an exemplary teacher he is!

Michael and I are looking forward to our next trip to Canberra, perhaps to lead these wonderful folk in a Levels Course in the near future.  Needless to say, we enjoyed our day and would welcome the opportunity to do this again!  

Marimba Camp in Healesville, Victoria. Candlebark Farm

Friday, August 6: My musical journey in Australia continues...

 I was picked up at my hotel in Healesville around 8:30 and driven to Candlebark Farm for the 18th annual family Marimba Camp. Heather McGlaughlin and Jon Madin are the primary reasons I was invited. Jon was a presenter in Charlotte at the '08 AOSA conference and my assignment was to help him in his sessions, handing out materials and carrying marimbas from one session to the next. Heather is a good friend of Jon's and both have been involved with the marimba camp for many years.

Andy Rigby, Jon Madin, Phil Melgaard

Upon arrival, I found Jon, several campers, and the other two presenters for the weekend, Phil Melgaard and Andy Rigby. We spent an hour jamming on the marimbas trading tunes and telling stories. Cooking Light anyone?

Audrey and Phil in Jon's Session

Saturday, August 7:

A good nights sleep, an nutritious breakfast of muesli, coffee, and bread got us all ready for some rousing sessions with the presenters. My first session went very well as the folks learned to play Jewe from my book Wood Songs. They had lots of questions about technique and presentation. Some of the participants were teachers who attended for service credit. The rest of the folks were campers. We worked for an hour and a half.

Morning tea, some good conversation and we were off to session two. I traveled up the hill to a nice spot outside in the sun on a beautiful, sunny, brisk day.  I taught the children campers a tune from Wood Songs as well, The Hey, Hey Jam.  The kids and I worked for about an hour or so and had a nice, spirited arrangement when we finished.

Musical Exercise Bikes

After afternoon tea, Jon's Session was was a lively presentation featuring his new invention, the musical exercise bikes. He also had his Echocellos as well as a raft of Marimbas. When his session was finished several of us gathered to jam and share music and stories.  Adult camper, Audrey and I found out that we had met in Chicago at the 1987 AOSA Conference.  She was a presenter with the musical group, Shenanigans, with Jon and Gary King.  I remembered her performance on the Quena, a South American flute and Gary's unforgettable tune on the didjeridu. She and I jammed on a few tunes and we ended up collaborating on a tune or two for dinner music that evening.  Great fun!

The traditional Saturday evening sharing session featured campers, both children and adults sharing songs and talents.  Several of the pieces that were played during sessions that day were presented while I offered up the Shen Fine song, Along the Valley Road from the CD, The Songs, with Audrey on Flute.  Heather played a beautiful version of Greensleeves with Jon and I on Echo Chello in true renaissance style.

Sunday, August 8:


After another good night's sleep and a good camp breakfast, I was off to Phil's "life changing" session.  He taught the adults to juggle hankys!  Learning to "let go," to keep more things going that you thought possible, to do something seemingly difficult by simply relaxing and letting it happen.... all great life lessons.  Phil then taught us a new tune that dovetailed nicely with Jon's session with the children, who came marching up the hill playing wacky instruments in a special version of Mary Had a Little Lamb.  Fantastic!

I then led a session for the children, first teaching them to do the Hambone, then a version of See Dees from my book, Ensemble.  Little did I know that several of the children were "Pro" body instrumentalists.  It was great fun and I had the pleasure of teaching Phil a new trick!

Jon and I playing EchoChellos.

Travel mate and colleague, Michael Nichols and my lovely wife Karen joined us for lunch and the final session of the camp.  I walked into the meeting hall to find two of the campers composing a fun sounding tune.  We collaborated and pretty soon we had a very cool Rondo with a Refrain played on Marimbas in four parts with a B section on EchoChellos, a C section on Musical Exercise bikes, and a grand finale with all the instruments playing.  For me, it was the highlight of the entire weekend.  Well done Stace and Talitha!

Campers and Teachers

All of the clinicians shared a final piece as the camp came to a close.  I was privileged to lead the final song, so I chose the beautiful canon with movement, Oh How Lovely is the Evening.  What a wonderful event and as far as I know, it will go on year after year.  Perhaps I will have the good fortune to attend again!

Enjoy this Video of the weekend's activities.

Wine tour and riding the pufferbilly

Friday August 6:

We awakened at 4:45 AM after our first good night of sleep for our first tour of the trip. We're off to visit the Yarra Valley wineries and ride the Puffing Billy RR.  Our hotel is in Healesville about a 30 minute drive from Lilydale, which is about an hour from Melbourne by train. The Metro train took us straight to our tour bus station. We joined our tour and were away at 8:15.

The train was very easy to negotiate and we found that passengers were very willing to talk and advise us about stops, where to get on and off, and how to get where we needed to be.  I can't help but remember many trips on New York subways and some futile attempts to ask folks for directions.  We are all impressed by the friendly inquiries and helpfullness of the folks here, even at 6:00 AM!

A Cockatoo

Our first stop was to have some tea at Grants Picnic Ground. It featured a very nice Aviary with many local and exotic birds. We got our first look at a Cockatoo and some other very colorful birds.

The Puffing Billy

The Puffing Billy railway was next and we enjoyed our 25 minute ride through the Sherbrooke Forest.  We rode through the clouds and fog of the Dandenong mountains, enjoying the tree ferns and stately eucalyptus trees. The forest was rich, full and green. The season here is late winter/early spring.

Riding the Puffing Billy
the Traditional Way

Our first winery was the Fergusson vineyard where we ate lunch and had our first tasting. The Sharaz Jeremy was my favorite. Karen enjoyed a glass of Victoria Chardonnay.

Our second winery was the Rochford where did a full wine tasting of three different wines. A little fudge and some wine flavored ice-cream and we were off to Domaine Chandon and some sparking wine. We took a tour of the facility, learning about the types of wine and the wine making process. We learned about fermentation, riddling, crown caps, and corks, finishing our tour with a toast and a taste of Australia's finest sparkling wine.

At Domaine Chandon

A Trip to Melbourne

Business and pleasure in Australia begins today.  The business started in 1997 when I attended the Seattle Orff Conference and saw a session led by Jon Madin and Chris Maubach of Australia.  Both of these fine teachers presented fantastic materials but my attention was riveted on Jon Madin and his incredible homemade marimbas.  I went back to Augusta County in Virginia and began building my own versions of these fantastic instruments.  I've written and blogged many times about making marimbas and marimba music at Stewart Middle School, so I won't add more details here.

Over the last 13 years, I've kept in touch with Jon as well as several other colleagues from down under  who, whenever we would meet up at the AOSA conference would check on my availability for doing some teaching in Australia.  I finally was able to say yes this year.  I am invited to be a guest teacher at the annual weekend Marimba Camp at Candlebark Farm in Healesville, just northeast of Melbourne, and will be doing two more co-sessions with my friend, travel companion and colleague, Michael Nichols.

At the Marimba Camp, I'll have the chance to work with teachers, children, and adults who attend this family camp.  I'm very anxious and excited about making some fantastic music with these folks.  Later on, I'll be leading a session called "Building Melodies" or "Help Me Rondo" for the Melbourne Orff Chapter at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School in Mooroolbark, which is very near the site of the Marimba Camp.  Then it's off to Canberra where Michael and I will be leading sessions for the Orff chapter there.


When the business is done, we'll head off to tour Sydney, Alice Springs, and Cairns before we return on August 30.  Check back often for updates and photos.