Kodály Winter Warmers

Warm up your music program with these bite-sized workshops

Warm up your music program with these bite-sized workshops

All sessions will run from 4.30 – 6.30 pm with two 50 min presentations and time for a cuppa in-between.

Secondary Winter Warmer
Tuesday 15th August
Kew Library
Presenters: Anna van Veldhuisen, Thomas Williams

Primary Winter Warmer
Wednesday 23rd August
Hawthorn Library
Presenters: Ruth Friend, Stefania Miller

Early Childhood Winter Warmer
Thursday 31st August
Hawthorn Library
Presenter: Elizabeth O’Leary

Cost:
Kodaly Australia Members: $50 per workshop
Non-member: $70 per workshop

Register Now!

Workshop Details

Secondary Winter Warmer

Date & time: Tuesday 15th August, 4.30 – 6.30pm
Location: Kew Library Meeting Room
Corner Cotham Road and Civic Drive, Kew
Presenters: Anna van Veldhuisen, Thomas Williams

Session 1: Compulsory Year 7 music – a spring board for your school musical culture

Presented by Thomas Williams

How can we, as music educators, use the greater social and emotional aspects of our subject to both engage and enthuse learners for our subject, who otherwise might not see themselves as musicians? What non-musical traits can we grow in our students through the practice of music in our classrooms? In this session, I will discuss examples from Richmond High School, and look at how we try to use the compulsory music program to help students create musical identity who might not otherwise see themselves as such. We will also look at what opportunities exist within these compulsory programs to help develop in students leadership capacity, whilst incorporating both Kodaly and informal musical pedagogies.

Session 2: Diverse repertoire for teaching aural in the VCE classroom

Presented by Anna van Veldhuisen

In this workshop, Anna will share a range of practical, musical, and engaging activities to teach Outcome 3 across the VCE years, with a focus on the Unit 1/2 and Units 3/4 Performance courses. In particular, the focus of the workshop will be on introducing a wide range of music by diverse artists, particularly women and First Nations composers, and exploring how this music can be used to teach Outcome 3 in a sequential and musically rewarding way. Singing, body percussion, games and active music making will be modelled as entry points to Outcome 3. We will also consider how these aspects of the course can be linked to performance and composition. Bring your singing voice, listening ears, and sense of fun!

Primary Winter Warmer

Date & time: Wednesday 23rd August, 4.30 – 6.30 pm

Location: Hawthorn Library Meeting Room 3
584 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

Presenters: Ruth Friend, Stefania Miller

Session 1: Musical Manipulatives: A hands on, inclusive approach to teaching music literacy

Presented by Stefania Miller

A manipulative is anything a student can put their hands on to assist them in developing and learning a new concept. This session explores songs, games and practice activities that include concrete objects to manipulate as well as why they are useful for creativity and inclusivity in the music classroom.

Session 2: Strategies to Successfully Integrate Creative Movement into your Primary Music Program

Presented by Ruth Friend

Movement within a music program serves many functions. It encourages mindfulness, kinesthetic understanding of musical concepts, focus, ability to work with others, sensitivity to music, listening skills and of course music appreciation. Creative Movement requires well-established parameters and classroom rules along with the development of a vocabulary/repertoire provided by the teacher. Establishing a sequential plan for the introduction and development of movement skills ensures success, enjoyment and above all sensitive, creative young musicians.

Early Years Winter Warmer

Date & time: Thursday 31st August, 4.30 – 6.30pm

Location: Hawthorn Library Meeting Room 3
584 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

Presenter: Elizabeth O’Leary

Session Presenters

Secondary Winter Warmer Presenters

Anna van Veldhuisen is a doctoral candidate from the University of Melbourne and secondary classroom music educator. Anna trained as a classical percussionist before beginning her teaching career and has taught and led music programs in a range of diverse secondary schools in Victoria, including establishing the music program at Alice Miller School from its inception in 2016. She currently teaches senior school music and conducts a range of choirs at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, and has worked casually for a number of years for the VCAA in various roles related to VCE music Anna completed her Australian Kodály Certificate in 2017 and has since presented workshops and papers at a range of conferences locally and internationally. Anna’s doctoral research is driven by her fascination with the lives and practices of music teachers, and explores how Australian educators experience Kodály-inspired PD programs and adapt the Kodály approach in their context. She is currently the Vice-President of Kodaly Victoria and an ordinary member of Kodály Australia’s national council.

Hailing from Moree NSW, Thomas Williams began his musical journey with piano lessons and involvement in the local brass band. This began a connection to community music for him, and since this time he has continued to keep connections of music within communities he has been involved in. Currently as Head of Music at Richmond High School, Thomas has built the music program from the schools beginnings in 2018 and in its first year of having year 12 students, now finds himself taking 13 students through to 3-4 VCE Music Performance (Repertoire and Contemporary), as well as 22 music students in his 1-2 class.
Alongside the occasional piano practice session, Thomas also can be found climbing trees, running the streets of Eltham, swimming in freezing rivers, adding harmonies to Vanessa Amorosi hits, and exploring the vast outback of Australia.

Primary Winter Warmer Presenters

Ruth Friend is a music education consultant, leading professional development for music teachers to assist them in maximising their teaching effectiveness in classroom music and movement methodology. She passionately supports teachers and encourages quality music and movement education in Australia.
Ruth is an experienced facilitator in training teachers in the Kodaly approach to music education. She has more than 38 years of broad teaching experience and expertise, which encompasses classroom music, music and movement, instrumental and choral programs from kindergarten to university.
Ruth’s first publication, ‘Put the Beat in ya Feet’ for flute, focused on developing independent, creative young musicians. She has since co-authored the successful ‘Take Note Music’ series of student and teacher books along with outstanding resources for the music classroom.

 

Stefania Miller has taught classroom music for 11 years and is currently the Classroom Music Specialist (Prep- Year 6) and Choral Conductor at St. Cecilia’s Primary School in Glen Iris, Melbourne.
Stefania’s enthusiasm for Kodaly based music education comes from her love of singing and musical theatre. She completed the Australian Kodaly Certificate in 2018 and since then has been passionate about creating fun and exciting musical experiences for her students which are engaging and inclusive of all abilities.

 

Early Years Winter Warmer Presenter

Elizabeth O’Leary is a passionate music educator, conductor and choral performer. She has a decade of music teaching experience both within schools and in the wider community.

Elizabeth currently conducts primary aged choirs at Young Voices of Melbourne and teaches music and drama as part of the Faculty of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University. In 2021, she founded Very Young Voices of Melbourne, Kodály inspired music classes for children aged 0-5.

In 2019, Elizabeth was awarded the Sarolta Kodály Scholarship to study at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy, where she completed an Advanced Diploma. She was awarded the Australian Kodály Certificate in 2012 and is an accredited Kodály lecturer. She is an experienced workshop presenter and has taught musicianship and primary pedagogy as part of the AKC.

Elizabeth performs regularly as a soprano and is currently a member of Alta Collective.