About Margery Smith

Australian Composer, Music Composition Teacher, Saxophone and Clarinet Teacher
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”

Joseph Campbell

Contact Me

Music services I offer…

I am an Australian composer. I enjoy writing in a variety of styles and for various instruments, but particularly woodwind solos and ensembles.
Clarinet & saxophone tuition from beginner to tertiary levels and beyond
Composition mentoring for Higher School Certificate Music 1 & 2 and Extension Music
Creative music making (Composition and Improvisation)

 

Currently I am…
Composer in Residence International Grammar School, Ultimo, Sydney NSW
Teaching Clarinet and Saxophone at my home studio in Geelong, Victoria

 

The heart of my teaching…
To foster individual creativity – creativity is the core of my teaching practice.
My philosophy as a music teacher is to explore and facilitate the musical potential that exists in all people. I work as a mentor with my students, developing creative solutions to musical problems.

 

My teaching strengths…
Inspiring curiosity and love for all things music
Developing your musical understanding, that ‘aha’ moment!
Developing efficient practice techniques
Creating your own great sound

Z

Qualifications

l

Past teaching experience

  • The Australian Institute of Music – Head of Classical Performance
  • The University of Newcastle – Senior Lecturer
  • Sydney Conservatorium of Music – Lecturer in Clarinet & Saxophone
  • Moriah College – Clarinet tuition
  • Barker College – Clarinet tuition
  • Workshops in improvisation and creative music making in the UK, Canada and Australia
U

Other periods of study include

  • Leon Russianoff (Clarinet) New York (1984)
  • Henri Bok (Saxophone and Bass Clarinet) Tom de Vette (Saxophone), Holland (1991)
  • Eugene Rousseau, (Saxophone) Bloomington, Indiana, USA (1991)

Performance experience includes

  • Principal Clarinet-Orchestra Victoria
  • Associate Principal Clarinet – The Australian Opera & Ballet Orchestra
  • Associate Principal Clarinet – Sydney Symphony
  • Chamber music, including Continuum Sax, The Seymour Group, Sonic Art Ensemble
My career in music has been a doorway to many wonderful experiences. I have performed in the great concert halls all over the world, and participated in festivals nationally and internationally. I am a musical artist who is in constant pursuit of new ideas to enrich my music practice.
Taking time out for reflection and creativity has periodically been one of the ways that I have travelled on this journey. In 1996 I received funding from the Australia Council to attend the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s (GSMD) innovative postgraduate course Certificate in Performance and Communication Skills. This was a great opportunity to develop my leadership skills as a facilitator for creative music projects.

As part of the coursework at the GSMD I was mentored in leading creative music workshops with the local schools in the Tower Hamlets community in London’s East End. The skills I gained enabled me to work with people from any background regardless of level of formal musical skill. In this fertile environment, my skills of composition, spontaneous decision making, improvisation and performance all come together to bring a musical work to life of the time and space.

Since completing my sabbatical at the GSMD I’ve given creative music workshops in Australia, Canada and Italy as well as developing coursework programs in creative practice at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Newcastle and the Australian Institute of Music. I see the act of tapping into individual creativity as a radical act in today’s society.

What is a creative music workshop? Read more here.

Margery Smith

Australian Composer, Music Composition Lessons, Saxophone Lessons, Clarinet Lessons
Geelong, Victoria
Let's Get Started On Your Musical Journey