HIGHLIGHT PRESENTERS
PRESENTER BIOS
Find out about all our amazing Elective Presenters at REMIX
ALICE CSABI
Victoria
Alice Csabi is an enthusiastic Performing Arts Teacher at Antonio Park Primary School in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She is a committee member of the Victorian Orff Schulwerk Association and loved learning about the Orff Approach while she studied a Bachelor of Primary Education with a Middle Years Music Specialisation at Deakin University. She has recently completed her Masters of Specialist Inclusive Education and TESOL qualification. Alice has a passion for incorporating Indigenous Perspectives within the classroom and teaching students who have additional needs. Prior to teaching at Antonio Park, Alice spent four years working in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory as a classroom teacher of all subjects. While in the desert, Alice worked closely with elders and local assistant teachers to deliver a bilingual program in Warlpiri and English, and a Two-Way Learning program in Alyawarr and English. The Performing Arts were a huge part of each community and she loved singing songs in language with her classes. She had many conversations with locals and has been encouraged to share certain elements with others in an appropriate format. Alice hopes that her session will inspire others to incorporate Indigenous Perspectives with confidence in their classrooms.
AMY BURNS
United States
Amy M. Burns has taught PreK-grade 4 general music for over 20 years at Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, NJ. She has authored four books on how to integrate tech into the elementary music classroom. She has presented many sessions on the topic, including four keynote addresses in Texas, Indiana, St. Maarten, and Australia. She is the recipient of the 2005 TI:ME Teacher of the Year, 2016 NJ Master Music Teacher, 2016 Governor’s Leader in Arts Education, and the 2017 NJ Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year Awards. Her most recent publication, Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches (2020), published by Oxford University Press (OUP) is available from OUP and Amazon.
ASH BISDEE
Western Australia
Ash is a passionate educator and loves the creative approach Orff Schulwerk offers to all. She has been teaching for 20 years and is a Level 3 music specialist at Aubin Grove Primary in Perth, WA. She directs a classroom music program for P-6 students, that is heavily focused on building well-being and bringing the community together. Ash is currently the Orffwest Editor for WAOSA - she first became involved with Orff in 2005 and has recently completed her ANCOS Level 3 with QOSA in July. In the past 5 years, Ash has presented many PL sessions for WAOSA, Musica Viva and ASME Summer Schools. Ash is a qualified Senior Drumbeat facilitator, supporting the use of drumming for well-being with her students. She is passionate about helping students to develop their own love of music and well-being and believes that high quality music education should be accessible for all students. When Ash isn't teaching music, she loves op shopping, writing, and spending time with her family and golden retriever, Teddy, at the beach. Ash is excited to have the opportunity to be a Remix presenter and is looking forward to sharing her love of Orffy sea shanties and drum circles.
BELINDA SMITH
New South Wales
Belinda is a passionate musician and educator. Having graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music (Music Education) Honours, Belinda has been teaching in primary and secondary schools for the past 6 years as a music specialist and is currently a music teacher at Kellyville High School. Belinda completed her Level 4 Orff Schulwerk Training in 2018 through the OSANSW.
In addition to school teaching, Belinda also works as a vocal and instrumental tutor for the NSW Department of Education’s Arts Unit, and teaches music education methods, including Orff Schulwerk Pedagogy, at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to pre-service music teachers. Belinda has been studying Balinese music since 2013, and was a founding member of Suara Jaya, Sydney Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, playing and teaching with the group for a number of years. When not teaching, Belinda sings with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Vox, studies at the Australian Taiko Academy, loves to travel and writes ridiculous songs for her niece and nephews.
CHERYL BURGEMEISTER
South Australia
Cheryl taught primary music for 10 years in Riverland Schools. For the last 4 years she has been the Music, Drama and Creative Arts teacher at Loxton High School, in 2022 winning the Public Secondary Educator Minister’s Arts Education Award. Since 2014, Cheryl has presented music technology workshops at various national and state conferences. Cheryl is an author for Bushfire Press, developing music technology and additional print classroom resources to complement the Music Room series. She is a Music EDnet Mentor, as well as a Makey Makey and Book Creator Ambassador. For more information about Cheryl please go to her webpage www.mrsbmusicroom.com
CONNOR MALANOS
New South Wales
Connor Malanos is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium, receiving a Bachelor of Music Education in 2019. Connor's background in Classical viola informs his musical practice, and his melodic style of beatboxing. For nearly a decade, he has beatboxed every day, refining his craft and adding new sounds to his repertoire. Connor has taken his beatboxing everywhere from the street to the recital hall, in acapella groups, in music theatre productions, at festivals, with other artists, and in beatbox battles as ‘Mr C.’
Witnessing incredible engagement with beatboxing in the classroom since 2016, Connor has passionately advocated for a new understanding of beatboxing from its traditional ‘hip-hop only’ roots. His 2018 documentary entitled ‘Beatbox Education’ was awarded by MusicEdNet with an opportunity to present all around Australia with the DAYTiME 2019 conference series. In 2020, Connor beatboxed his way around New Zealand before returning to Sydney to deliver an online workshop series with Gondwana Choirs. In 2022, his performance ranked 1st place in the elimination round of the Australian National Beatboxing Competition.
To date, Connor has delivered over 150 beatbox workshops to primary, secondary, and tertiary students, as well as in teacher Professional Development workshops.
Learn more: https://www.connormalanos.com/beatbox-workshops
Doug Goodkin is an internationally recognised teacher of Orff Schulwerk, training teachers in over 50 countries worldwide. Alongside his teacher-training work, he worked with children from three years old to eighth grade in The San Francisco School for 45 years before his recent retirement.
Doug is an author of ten books, speaker at various Conferences and in a TEDx talk, director of and teacher in the prestigious San Francisco International Orff Course, the Jazz/Orff Course and frequent teacher at the Orff Institut in Salzburg, Austria. He is also the pianist in and leader of the jazz quintet, The Pentatonics, bringing jazz to people of all ages. Since his retirement from the SF School, Doug has continued teaching numerous online classes on Jazz History, resumed his teaching in courses and conferences worldwide, mentored three teachers at three different schools, published three books from other authors through his Pentatonic Press Company, continued to play music regularly for elders and kept up his Blog “Confessions of a Traveling Music Teacher,” now in its 12th year.
Doug is featured in a documentary film titled ‘The Secret Song’ that recently premiered in film festivals in Orlando, Florida and Barcelona.
DOUG GOODKIN
United States
ESTEVAO MARQUES
Estêvão Marques is a researcher of Brazilian folklore, percussionist and teacher. He graduated in music in São Paulo, Brazil - his home country. He is a professor at The San Francisco Orff Course in the USA and has given workshops in Turkey, Colombia, Uruguay, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, Thailand, Spain, Argentina and throughout Brazil.
Estêvão is an author of more than 20 books about musical games, Brazilian rhythms and traditional songs, as well as textbooks for public schools in Brazil, addressing themes of integrated arts: music, dance, visual arts and theatre. He is director of the online course “Educando pela Brincadeira”, which is especially designed for teachers, who believe in the educational value of the music games.
With great knowledge of dances, he integrates different instruments into his creative choreographies: spoons, buckets, body percussion and much more. Creator of the children's group "Grupo Triii", he played with great names in Brazilian music: Chico César, Antonio Nóbrega, Palavra Cantada and Barbatuques group.
Brazil
New South Wales
Felicia Chadwick brings to her teaching extensive and diverse involvement with K-12 classroom-based music education, spanning nearly forty years. Her involvement with Orff-Schulwerk underpins all her work. As a classroom teacher, lecturer and mentor, Felicia has enjoyed involvement with the development and implementation of K-12 classroom music curricula in NSW.
Felicia has written teaching resources for The Australian Music Centre, Gondwana Choirs, the Musica Viva In Schools and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra education programmes. She has ‘championed’ the use of Australian music in classrooms, working with composers and performing arts companies to facilitate the use of Australian music in schools, and performances attended by audiences of school students.
Felicia holds undergraduate qualifications in Music Education and Education, and post graduate degrees in Curriculum Studies, Educational Leadership and Gifted Education. Her Doctoral thesis examined the development of musical potential in children, with a specific focus on the provision of opportunities for music learning, provided by home-based and school-based undertakings.
Although recently “retired” from full-time classroom teaching, Felicia continues to work part-time at Queenwood School, Mosman (Sydney), teaching and supporting the design, development and implementation of K-12 classroom Music programmes. She is also regularly invited to assist schools with Music Education program renewal projects.
FELICIA CHADWICK
New South Wales
James Madsen studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, graduating with an Honours Degree in Music Education, studying piano under Stephanie McCallum. He has since taught music in a range of schools to children of all ages. With his background in music education and with a passion for composition, James presents music education workshops with his range of original repertoire, with a focus on improvising and creative music making. He also produces and performs his much-loved songs and dances for children from his Jam On Toast music project. He is a regular presenter at conferences and professional development courses for teachers, sharing his repertoire and creative music ideas and accompanying resources. Over the years, James has pursued his interest in composition work, producing new music in a range of styles. His contemporary classical music includes choir music, chamber works and solo repertoire.
Links:
Web: www.JamesMadsen.com.au www.JamOnToast.com.au
Insta: @JamesMadsenMusic
FB & Insta: @JamOnToastMusic
JAMES MADSEN
JANE NICHOLAS
Western Australia
Jane has taught classroom music to Western Australian primary students for many years. She currently teaches classroom music full time at Willandra Primary School in south eastern Perth. During her teaching career, she has enjoyed developing strong community links with Aboriginal musicians, artists, authors, Elders and the families of her students. She has used these links to create and embed culturally enriched lessons, resources and programs. Jane has run numerous workshops for educators, presented at national conferences and internationally in Glasgow, Baku and Prague. Jane promotes a creative approach towards embedding First Nations cultures into music teaching. Jane was awarded the ASME Music Educating For Life Award for Western Australia in Melbourne in 2017 and then the Outstanding Professional Service Award from the Professional Teachers Council of WA in 2018. Jane holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia and a Graduate Diploma of Education from Edith Cowan University. She has been a committee member for the Australian Society For Music Education WA and the Western Australian Orff Schulwerk Association for over ten years. She is a member of Madjitil Moorna which is a unique community choir singing Aboriginal and TSI songs, led by Indigenous musicians.
KATIE SALISBURY
Tasmania
Katie is a passionate music educator who graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2014. During university, she discovered Orff Schulwerk and has since completed all four Levels courses through OSANSW. In 2019, Katie was lucky enough to travel to Salzburg for the Orff Institute Summer School.
Katie has a broad range of experience, having taught students from preschool to Year 12. She taught at Asquith Boys High School and International Grammar School in Sydney, and recently moved to Tasmania where she is teaching in two regional primary schools. As part of this move, she is also teaching in the library, and quickly realised how well picture books and music education could be paired together.
Katie was a member of the OSANSW committee for six years and is now serving on the TOSA committee. She was also a founding member of Suara Jaya; Sydney Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble and played with the group for several years.
LISA WOODS
South Australia
Lisa Woods is a Performing Arts educator who teaches Reception to Year 6 at Angle Vale Primary School in Adelaide’s North. Lisa has held a lifelong passion for Music which started with an opportunity to learn the recorder in a public country school and developed into a love of singing and broader Arts appreciation. Lisa presents locally for OSASA and has completed Level 3 in the Orff Schulwerk approach. Lisa has also completed Level 1 Primary of the Australian Kodály Certificate and presented at the Kodály ‘Welcome to Country’ conference in 2018; sharing new musical works in Kaurna language that had been developed in conjunction with Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP) and the University of Adelaide. Lisa participates annually in the production of the Primary Schools Music Festival as both choir trainer and concert manager and is the Regional Coordinator for the Northern Metro Music Festival. Lisa has been a regular attendee at local OSASA workshops over the last ten years. She has been inspired by presenters from around Australia and the world through attendance at the Sydney and Hobart National Conferences, and is delighted to be a presenter at the SA National Conference ‘REMIX’.
MARK MCCORMACK
Tasmania
Music has always been significant for me. Even when studying for a Science degree, Music was the choice for my 'non-technical' elective. I started teaching Secondary Maths/Science in Tasmanian Government schools in 1980 before making a change to teaching Music in 1999. My first TOSA Summer School was an Orff levels course in Jan 1999 and that formed the basis of my Music Teacher training. Since then, Orff gatherings have been much appreciated from local sharing of experiences and resources to state and national special events. There's always plenty from these to inspire, explore and challenge, then pass on.
Through 22 years as a Music Teacher, I've worked in various Schools; small country school, large suburban campus, socio-economic disadvantaged communities, and a School for children with special needs & challenges, retiring from there in April 2021. I now teach private guitar students and 'Orff direct' a (mostly youth) community choral ensemble.
I really enjoy helping people switch on to Music. If I can help someone with some basics and introduce songs which encourage exploration for themselves then I'm content. As Richard Gill once stated, "The whole purpose of teaching Music to (others) is so they can make their own!"
MICHAEL MCCONNOCHIE
South Australia
Michael McConnochie is the Performing Arts teacher at Golden Grove Primary School - a large primary school in the North Eastern suburbs of Adelaide. He currently works with 21 classes of students from Reception to Year 6 as well as two choirs, two bands, a percussion ensemble and dance troupe. Michael uses Orff pedagogies throughout his program and is a regular presenter at Orff workshops in South Australia. He has also presented at National Conferences, the NSW State Conference and online at an IOSFS resonance.
As well as his teaching, Michael is also the Orchestra Manager for the South Australian Festival of Music, President of the Orff Schulwerk Association of South Australia, tutor at the University of South Australia and Co-Convenor of the REMIX conference. Recently, he has also become Secretary of the ANCOS Executive. He regularly mentors teachers (and pre-service teachers) in the building of Arts pedagogy and has a passion for engaging boys in Music education.
Michelle Rollins has loved being a specialist music and drama teacher for 37 years, including the last 24 years at Waverley College Junior School in Sydney. As well as classes, she directs a stomp group and conducts a 50-voice boys choir. She holds a B.Ed. (CSU) and a B.A. Hons. in Ethnomusicology (UNE). She also holds a L.Mus.A (AMEB) in singing. Michelle is the current National (ANCOS) Vice President and State (OSANSW) President of Orff-Schulwerk in Australia. She is often found working behind the scenes as conference convenor or workshop organiser and has also been a recipient of the Outstanding Professional Service Award (Professional Teachers Council of NSW) for her work with OSANSW. Michelle has presented sessions at the NSW state conference, for SingOrff (Singapore) and online for the 2020 IOSFS. She is also a regular presenter for Musica Viva. Michelle has a particular interest in using technology as an integrated, creative element of her Orff-Schulwerk practice. Michelle sings with the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus and works regularly as a piano accompanist with a special interest in the Lieder and Operatic repertoire.
MICHELLE ROLLINS
New South Wales
NATIONAL MUSIC TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAM
New South Wales
This workshop is being presented by three people.
Susan Marshall is the classroom music teacher at Unley Primary School in Adelaide. She teaches Reception to Year 7 and has been involved with the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program for the past 5 years. Susan has completed Level 4 Orff Schulwerk Accreditation and is involved as a Levels Presenter in SA. She has previously presented Orff Focus Sessions at ANCOS National Conferences. In 2020 and 2021, Susan has been involved as a presenter for OSASA in the Music Education Strategy Professional Development Packages.
Deb Hepworth is an experienced music educator and art administrator. She is a previous Director of Music of the Primary Schools Music Festival and Administrator of the SAPPS Choir. She has been the SA Coordinator of the National Music Teacher Mentoring Program since it began in SA in 2017.
Recently appointed National Manager of the NMTMP, Bernie Heard has enjoyed a career in the administration of music training programs for young people, including as Executive Director of Gondwana Choirs, General Manager of Sydney Youth Orchestras and Artist Development Manager at the Sydney Symphony. She has worked as a specialist music teacher and had a close working relationship for many years with the NMTMP’s founder, the late Richard Gill AO.
NORIKO YAMANAKA
New South Wales
Noriko is a primary Japanese teacher at the International Grammar School, Sydney. She has completed Orff Levels 1, 2 and 3 and has subsequently incorporated the Orff approach into her teaching daily for the last 10 years.
She has been collaborating with Michele Ellis to develop special events for the IGS International Day, school assemblies, annual language camps, and STEAM projects. Noriko is working on publishing an Orff Japanese music book with Michele Ellis and plans to run school holiday Japanese workshops incorporating the Orff Approach for primary children.
Noriko attended the International Summer Course in Salzburg in 2014 and 2016 and recently attended the Orff Summit and Orff Forum held online.
Noriko is a member of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and enjoys performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and world-renowned conductors.
Her passion is performing in stage productions. She has completed NIDA acting courses and in her first stage appearance, Noriko was cast as the Queen in the pantomime Rapunzel! Rapunzel! with the Rockdale Musical Society in 2015. Since then, Noriko has performed with the Rockdale Musical Society, Rockdale Opera Company and Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. Noriko is a violinist in the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
PROFESSOR
ROB AMCHIN
United States
Dr. Robert Amchin is a distinguished teaching professor of music education at the University of Louisville (KY) where he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes including Elementary General Methods, Introduction to Orff Schulwerk, Secondary General Music, Research, and Foundations classes. He also supervises student teachers. He studied at the Orff Institute (Salzburg), New England Conservatory of Music, Memphis State University, Hofstra University, Hamline University, and the University of Michigan.
Rob was an elementary music specialist in Texas and still works with children as an artist-in-residence.
Amchin has taught Orff teacher-training courses and workshops around the world including invitations to South Africa, Finland, China, Russia, Austria, Israel, Poland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada. He has presented at numerous American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) professional development conferences.
Amchin has contributed to various publications and projects related to music teaching and learning. He has also published collections of compositions and arrangements for elementary children including a collection of Jewish and Hebrew songs arranged for school-age children, published as a supplement to the American Edition to the Orff Schulwerk, and Modal Mosaic, a set of original elemental pieces for Orff ensemble.
THOM BORDEN
United States
Thom Borden teaches PreK-5 in Las Vegas and Introduction to the Kodaly Method at Vandercook College in Chicago. Thom completed his B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction focused on Reading. He completed Orff Levels at UNLV and an Orff Master Level at the University of Memphis under Jos Wuytack. Advanced studies include music and movement in Paris as well as Kodaly training and certification through CSU with Sr. Lorna Zemke. Thom is the past-president of the Greater Chicago Orff Chapter, founding member of the Las Vegas Kodaly Chapter (LUCKE), and has presented at numerous AOSA and OAKE conferences. He has presented in Australia (Melbourne 2008), Canada, China, Europe and presents across the US each year. Thom served as the AOSA Diversity Committee Chair and is a founding member of the International Sharing Sunday USA organisation. He has published Orff arrangements in the McGraw-Hill curriculum series SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC and MUSIC STUDIO and has published materials on using manipulatives in the classroom. Teaching Kodaly courses at Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, his latest publications include a series of musical active and interactive singing games - FILE FOLDER FUN! for Music Classrooms - that assist in teaching concepts both live and virtually.