Bec has volunteered to fulfil two important roles this year. As Stage Manager for the workshop she will be around to keep everything on track during the workshop and also, as an experienced musician, she will fulfil the role of repetiteur to help new and inexperienced players with timing and tuning.
Interview with Bec
Bec conducting a small violin chamber group at the Sunday afternoon ‘Concert for Us’.
Tell us about yourself.
Apart from being privileged to live in this beautiful Valley, I and a keen gardener and proud to be a member of the volunteer bush fire brigade. I like to contribute to the local community in lots of ways, but particularly with music. After leaving school I knew I wanted to do something with music so at university I did a combined degree – Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology followed by a postgraduate diploma in Music Therapy. I worked with adults with an intellectual disability and as a CEO of an organisation for adults with an intellectual disability. In 2022 I needed a break and am now back working with adults and children providing music therapy and behaviour support.
Why music therapy?
I believe that anyone can play music, with their breath, such as chanting or singing, or with an instrument, such as a drum or a bell, and it is a way that you can communicate with people that is less invasive that verbal communication. You can work with music therapy across all life spans. Music helps people develop their fine motor skills, it helps people with dementia, it helps with social skills, such as sharing and taking turns, imitation, validation, identifying and practising emotions through music. Your body is an instrument. If for instance a person is fully quadriplegic and cannot move any part of their body they can still breathe and still respond to rhythms.
Why did you decide to participate in Strings at St Albans in 2023?
Last year was my first year participating in Strings at St Albans. It was about me fulfilling my passion of playing the violin with an orchestra. I met fabulous people and great musicians and was able help a group of violins to play a piece that they really wanted to play. People were struggling with the timing; so they asked me to conduct. It was both ends of the spectrum for me. I was an absolute beginner at the violin at one end and an experienced musician in other respects. My main instruments have been piano and saxophone, but I had always wanted to try a stringed instrument.
What did you enjoy about Strings at St Albans?
St Albans is all those wonderful things that we often take for granted. It is the beautiful location, the immersion in music for three days and the social aspects – meeting interesting people. Putting on the concert for the community was a buzz. On Sunday we played for ourselves. It was great to hear the different strings sections play together. It’s a special kind of indulgence. On Sunday morning, we got together in small chamber groups, chose some music, practiced madly, then after lunch we played just for us and a few invited friends. It is a delightful way to finish off the weekend in time for the drive back to wherever.
A Cacophony of Cellos? As a collective noun that might be a misnomer because they sounded great. The courtyard, part of the old gaol, has perfect acoustics for small chamber performances
Why are you coming back to volunteer this year?
This not-for-profit workshop is run by a group of volunteers who share a love of music and a love of the beautiful Macdonald Valley. They work hard and I know their efforts are appreciated. I hope they do.
I also love to volunteer for community events. This community has been through so many traumas in recent years; surrounded by fires then devastating floods. Events like this help the community to restore itself.
And it’s great fun!
The Sunday afternoon Concert for Us at the 2023 Strings at St Albans workshop involved groups of different composition, like this quartet. It is the most enjoyable kind of picnic; lolling about listening to music in an ideal setting.
Thanks Bec and many thanks for volunteering to help us again this year.
