Would you like to hear Mitchell Con's newest teacher?

The link below, from David Pereira's own website, is of a beautiful recording of him playing one of the best-loved pieces for the cello. You can simply click on it, and listen, or right click and save the file to your computer.
David Pereira and Anna Johnstone performing The Swan, by Camille Saint-Saëns.

But if you'd like to hear a concert performance, please check out the details of concerts coming up shortly at David's website.

There is also a great concert, not advertised there, to be held on Tuesday, 5th October, at 7.30 PM at St Paul's Anglican Church,205 Burwood Rd, Burwood.

The concert includes Messiaen's marvellous Quartet For The End Of Time and Arvo Pärt's Spiegel im Spiegel.

The quartet performing are
Alan Vivian - clarinet
Anna McMichael - violin
Tamara Anna Cislowska - piano
David Pereira - cello

Unaccustomed as I am ...

One way or another, many readers of this blog will be faced with having to speak in public. We may be introducing our music during a performance, addressing a crowd of parents at a student concert, or engaged in sharing our thoughts with a group in some other way, but it seems to go with the territory of being a musician.

Two helpful resources
Strictly Speaking is ABC TV's new public speaking program, beginning on Wednesday, 29th September at 8 PM. This half hour program sounds like a fun way to see how others manage getting up and speaking in public. And the website has lots of great links to tips about speaking in public, as well as recordings, videos and transcriptions of great speeches, most of which were delivered by Australians.

Toastmasters is an international club for people who would like to improve their public speaking. Members help one another to achieve this goal. The Bathurst club meets at Panthers on the first and third Monday nights of each month. You can find out more about this by emailing or phoning Helen Rixon, whose details are listed here.

What are piano lessons for?

Elissa Milne is a prolific composer and editor of books for piano students. Her own compositions are fresh, fun and original and the collections of books she edits are always reliable, interesting and full of variety.

In her thought-provoking post What are piano lessons for? she makes these points.

1. Piano lessons are for learning to do cool stuff on the piano

2. Piano lessons are for learning what the piano can do so you can do whatever you want on it.

3. Piano lessons are for understanding other people better

4. Piano lessons are for understanding yourself better

5. Piano lessons are for understanding the world better

6. Piano lessons are for exercising your body, your emotions and your intellect all at the same time.

7. Piano lessons are for changing who you are

8. Piano lessons are for joy.

That's the skellington. Now please check out her whole article.

We've heard them all

picture from http://www.stevesmusicstuff.com

Well, we've heard a lot of them. You know what we're talking about: excuses for not practising. Here are a few of our favourites, collected over the past forty or so years.

I didn't practise last week because:
1. it was too hot
2. it was too cold
3. I couldn't remember which piece I was learning.
4. I had to have a bath.
Daniel McKay, classical guitar teacher, swears this is genuine.

5. My sister is using the piano stool for a TV stand in her bedroom.
6. My girlfriend dumped me and I was too miserable to practise.
7. I left the power cord for my keyboard at Dad's place.
8. My guitar had a broken string.
9. I decided to do all my practice on Thursday, but then I had to go out on Thursday.
10. I got RSI playing computer games.

We have another fifty of these, which we'll share in other posts.
I wonder if you have any we haven't heard?

Music you can't get out of your head

Here is a great singalong song to help you remember your intervals.




Tim Minchin's Interval Song has a slightly more interesting preview page, but much more boring tune! I don't think I'd be offending Tim by saying that: I think, that's the idea!

Distinguished cellist joins Mitchell Con staff

Judi Power-Thomson's portrait of David Pereira

Mitchell Conservatorium is excited to announce that David Pereira, one of Australia's most accomplished cellists, has joined our staff.

It is not every day that one of our staff can boast that he has been the subject of an Archibald prize entry!

Please check out David's website for information about his activities as a performer, teacher, composer, writer and mental health advocate.

Welcome David!