Dr. Doreen Bridges AM

Patron

Doreen Bridges (née Jacobs) is a distinguished Australian music educator. Her studies at Adelaide University and then in London gave her a solid training which she expanded into the area of early childhood and new approaches to basic musicianship. Her PhD in the early 1970s was the first in music education from any Australian university. Her research and publication history is prolific and much admired.

As a young child in Adelaide, ‘Dee' had early contact with Dalcroze Eurhythmics through Agnes Sterry and Heather Gell. As an adult student she took lessons in piano improvisation from the latter. Decades later, when Gell opened a Dalcroze training school in Sydney, Doreen taught piano and harmony and provided committee support in establishing a revived Dalcroze Society in Australia. An active member of ISME Commissions, she was awarded Honorary Life Membership of ASME .

Doreen Bridges’ personal links with current members of the Dalcroze Australia committee are fondly acknowledged. Sandra Nash and Peter Roberts attended her lectures at Sydney University at which she introduced them to Heather Gell as a guest lecturer, while for Joan Pope, Dee's piano lessons in 1956 were a revelation.

Dr Joan Pope OAM

IMMEdiate PASt President

PhD (Monash), MEd, BEd (ECU), BA, DipEd (UWA), Diplôme Supérieur (Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, Geneva). 

Joan Pope has influenced generations of teachers, artists and performers through her teaching of music and related arts in Western Australian universities. She has given Dalcroze Eurhythmics workshops around Australia, South East Asia and in the UK. Joan has been on many national committees for dance, drama and physical education and in 2001 was honoured with the award of OAM for service to the creative arts, children and the community.  In 2013 she co-authored with Selma Odom the essay marking the Centenary of the London School of Dalcroze Eurhythmics and co-presented the Keynote address at the first International Conference of Dalcroze Studies held in Coventry. Joan recently received the National AUSDANCE Services to Dance Education Award. 

Katherine Smith

PRESident

MMus,  BMus (Hons), Grad.Dip.Ed. (UWA), Cert. Dalcroze (DEIEB), Australian Kodály Certificate (KMEIA).

Katherine holds a Master of Music in Performance from the School of Music at the University of Western Australia, and has completed the Dalcroze Certificate (DEIEB) and the Australian Kodály Certificate in music education (Primary).  Katherine has worked as a freelance orchestral and chamber music clarinettist, performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles in Perth. Katherine has taught music for 15 years, both as a clarinet teacher in private studio, primary and high school settings, and more recently as a teacher of early childhood music classes for pre-school aged children (and their parents!)

Carol-ann Bentley

Treasurer and Public Officer

LMusA, DipSpecMusEd, DipHypn

Carol-ann Bentley has been a secondary school music teacher and voice teacher for many years, and became a Music Coordinator in a Sydney school. She took in-service courses in Dalcroze Eurhythmics and used aspects of the approach in her classroom teaching and voice studio work. Carol-ann has been involved in committee work with Dalcroze in NSW for many years and is currently Secretary/Treasurer for Dalcroze Australia.

Dr Sandra Nash

Director Of Studies, F.I.E.R Delegate and Publications Officer

PhD, BMus, Diplôme Supérieur (Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, Geneva)

After teaching in schools and universities in Sydney, Sandra Nash became a freelance Dalcroze Eurhythmics and piano teacher in 1991. At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music she taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics for over a decade in the Tertiary program (Music Education) and in the Open Academy’s Junior Training Program. As Director of Studies for Dalcroze Australia Sandra has been conducting Summer Courses and workshops around Australia since 1994, and continues to teach and examine internationally. 

Rebecca Cheng

secretary

BSc, DipEd, LMus, DipMus (Dist), BMus, MEd (Educational Leadership & Management), Adv. Dip. Counselling (Christian), Cert IV in Coaching Skills for the Workplace, PTC Level 1, JP 

Rebecca first completed a Bachelor of Science at Sydney University majoring in Biochemistry and Pharmacology, followed by a Diploma of Education to become a Science teacher. 

The offer of a Sydney Gordon Vicars Scholarship from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music enabled her to continue with a Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of Head of Keyboard Ms Elizabeth Powell and piano accompaniment with Mr David Miller. 

Rebecca started her music career teaching piano at Abbotsleigh, Knox and Barker College, and musicianship classes at the Conservatorium Access Centre. In 2012 she was appointed Head of Keyboard and College Accompanist at The Scots College. 

In 2014 she was given a scholarship by the school to study for a Master of Education in Educational Management and Leadership from the University of Sydney and at the University of Cambridge, UK. 

Rebecca is a well-respected accompanist invited to appear on 2MBS FM and SBS Radio, at various music festivals and is a tutor for the Australian Strings Academy and Australian Youth Choir.

Wendy Gumpl

Cert. Dalcroze, DipT (Primary)

Wendy Gumpl is a music educator in Adelaide. She works with children and staff at long-day-care centres and runs a piano studio for beginners of all ages. Dalcroze Eurhythmics is central to her professional work.

She has also studied Orff, Kodaly, and Montessori methodologies during a long teaching career  which includes primary and tertiary students.

After twenty years of teaching Early Childhood Music and Movement, she is now into the third year of a mentoring program with her EC colleagues, assisting them to develop the skills and confidences necessary to ensure informal daily musical experiences for their children 0-4 years. She has led many teachers’ workshops. She continues to gain insights into the challenges facing educators who have little or no formal music education. 

Rev. Geoffrey Usher

JP, BA, MA, MPhil, DipT, LTCL, LSDA, MACE

Geoffrey Usher, as nephew of Lesley Cox, had many years of exposure to Dalcroze Eurhythmics. This helped provide the foundation for his training to become a performer on stage. He has been a high school English and drama teacher, teacher of business communication at a TAFE college and worked as a professional actor. As a minister of the Unitarian Church, Geoffrey has served in Sydney and England.

For a large part of his adult life he was on the committee for the Dalcroze Society of South Australia and later was Treasurer for the Dalcroze Society of NSW. After 19 years in England, he has returned, and is happy to renew his involvement with Dalcroze in an administrative capacity.

Peter Roberts

MMus (NSW), MA, MusB (Dublin), MTheolStud (ACU), MEdStud, GradDipEd [Religious Studies] (SA), BA, DipMLT (Sydney), BA (Wollongong), BBus (Swinburne), GradDipEd [Teacher-Librarianship], GradCert TESOL (Charles Sturt), AdvCert (RWCMD), Dip School Admin (Armidale CAE), LTCL, ASDA, Gold Medal – Speech (LAMDA), AALIA, MIMT  

A retired teacher with degrees in music, drama, education, philosophy, theology and business, Peter was the first president of the national organization Dalcroze Australia, having previously been president of the Dalcroze Society of New South Wales. He has been active in the administration of many non-professional arts organisations over the last five decades and sees the teachings of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze as not only fundamental for music educators in the early stages of learning but also in the development of the maturing artist.

Heather Lander

Book Sales Manager

BMus (Perf) (Sydney Con.), PG Cert (String Teaching), Cert IV Training and Assessment, Cert IV Small Business Management, MIMT

Heather is a sought after teacher of cello and chamber music in Adelaide, South Australia. Heather teaches Cello at the Open Music Academy, Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide. Heather is an AMEB examiner in South Australia specialising in Lower Strings. In 2018 Heather completed her Post Graduate Certificate in String Teaching at the University of Chichester. She has given lecture presentations to the Music Teachers Association of South Australia and the National Austa conference in 2022.

Heather is currently on the teacher training track for Dalcroze Australia and also completing her Masters of Teaching degree.