Mitchell Con Puts Students in Hospital

Anthony Tran

Mitchell Conservatorium is still putting students in hospital. But we're not making them sick, or injuring them. We are giving them performance opportunities, through Christine McMillan, Arts Coordinator at Bathurst Base Hospital.

On Wednesday, 23rd November, 2011 Belinda Macri and Anthony Tran played some piano pieces at Bathurst Base Hospital. Their piano teacher, David McKay, also played a few tunes.

Belinda Macri, David McKay and Anthony Tran

Australian Music was a special feature of our short concert, which included pieces by Ross Edwards, Elissa Milne, Sonny Chua and the first Bathurst performance of two pieces from Justin McKay's Lewis Carroll Suite.

Mitchell Con Youtube site is live

Belinda Macri performed this piano piece on Sunday, 5th December, 2010 at a Mitchell Con end of year student concert.

Do you like the Mixolydian flavour at the beginning?

The piece is called Larrikin and it is by Elissa Milne, one of Australia's best-known and best-loved composers of pieces for students. We hope you enjoy our very first video, and look forward to sharing lots more with you in 2011.
I'm sorry that the video is only taking up a small part of the screen. But I don't think it is distorting our performer by making her look stretched out or elongated.


Our second video features, Will Schoenmaker, playing at the same student concert.

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.