July might seem light years ago as we fly straight into end-of-year performances, but activities from APPC 2017 remain fresh in the minds of the attendees. Teachers from around Australia and many international guests congregated at The University of Adelaide from July 10-14th this year. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces to us at The Piano Teacher, and to meet many more teachers who we have previously only met online! The atmosphere was energised and everyone was eager to participate in as many workshops, keynotes, recitals, and masterclasses as they could physically get to!
The Hal Leonard Solutions Stream offered a full program for delegates, with highlights including Sonny Chua and Christopher Norton performing and discussing their compositions. It was fabulous for delegates to connect with these composers and ask questions about their pieces! It is pretty cool being able to say to a student, “I asked Christopher Norton about your question in this piece and he suggested…”
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“It was really encouraging to see so many piano teachers with so much passion and excitement for what they do. Lots of people seemed to have the same questions as I did, and eagerly shared their ideas and suggestions. There was support for any kind of student or issue, and now I know I’m not alone in those needs. That camaraderie alone was worth the registration fees!”
Elsabeth Parkinson — Adelaide South Australia
“The APPC is the most amazing resource for Australian Piano Teachers. Presentations from internationally acclaimed pedagogues and our own wonderful Australian expert teachers make it the best value professional development available in the country. Also, being able to meet fellow teachers face to face and form often lifelong connections and friendships make it a must for all piano teachers in Australia.”
Lynda Kay Irvine — Mossman Queensland
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Angela Turner, editor of Exploring Piano, gave very popular presentations about communicating technique with our students, online lessons, and a treasure trove of new and perhaps undiscovered repertoire for teachers to share with students! To round out the solutions options, Carly McDonald literally brought the party along with balloons, streamers, and an array of engaging sessions about how we teach adults, children, musical history, and think about and manage our studios as a business
There was an abundance of sessions to attend, and you can read articles from some of our favourite presenters from APPC in this issue of The Piano Teacher, including: Wendy Brentnall-Wood, Samantha Coates, Helen Perris, and Tim Topham.
The absolute highlight of APPC 2017 was meeting so many other piano teachers who were all there to learn, develop, and continue to advance our profession. We look forward to APPC 2019 in Brisbane and hope to see everyone there…less than two years to wait!
