Helena Maher

Clarinet and saxophone lessons taught online or in-person in Canberra

Contact Details
Helena Maher
About

I have been surrounded by music for most of my life. From a young age, I was taught piano, recorder, and music theory by my parents and grandparents. When I was 10 years of age, my grandfather gifted me with my first clarinet. From here, I self-taught myself the instrument. It wasn’t until I was 14 years old that I would gain my first clarinet teacher, David Shephard. Due to the nature of self-teaching, I inevitably taught myself some bad habits and I have had to work hard to overcome these obstacles.

In the years 2013-2014, I attended TAFE in Grafton NSW to undertake a Certificate IV and a Diploma of Music. Through these, I obtained knowledge in songwriting, sound recording and editing, basic improvisation, and gained experience performing in a variety of groups. I played in ensembles / bands ranging from rock to jazz-inspired to pop.

In 2016, I moved to Adelaide, SA to undertake a Bachelor of Music (Music Performance – Classical) on clarinet. In 2019, I graduated with First Class Honours. Throughout my four years at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, I played a variety of positions in the university ensembles. I played in a number of chamber groups, and my parts in the wind orchestra ranged between Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, Eb clarinet and contrabass clarinet. I also played bass clarinet, and both first and second clarinet in the university symphony orchestra. Alongside this, I played with the Adelaide Wind Orchestra, Adelaide Youth Orchestra. I also played in a variety of musical theatre performances – shifting between clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone.

At the beginning of 2020, I attended The Australian Youth Orchestra’s National Music Camp. It was here that I undertook the Words About Music Program, which has assisted me to refine my ability to write journal articles and program notes. Since completing this program, I have been commissioned to write program notes for institutions such as The Australian Youth Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

I started as a freelance music teacher in Adelaide in the second year of my degree. I quickly became aware of my passion for providing excellence in education to students. This joy of imparting knowledge inspired me to move to Canberra to complete a Masters Degree of Secondary Teaching, which I am due to graduate from at the end of 2021. In Canberra, I currently play with Canberra City Band and Australian Wind Symphony. Despite my shift towards classroom teaching, individual music tuition will undoubtedly be a lifelong passion, and I hope to always be able to provide this to young musicians.

Teaching Since
2018
Qualifications and Awards
Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance) with Honours
Masters of Secondary Teaching
Music Lessons Provided
Instruments
Clarinet, Saxophone, Saxophone-Alto
Styles
Classical
Specialities
Adult Learning, AMEB, Aural Training, Ensemble, Musicianship, Technique, Theory
Features
Child Checked, Comes To You, School Instrumental
Areas Serviced
Online, Canberra
Suburbs
Canberra, Duffy
Other Details
Minimum age taught
8
0

Last Modified: 27 January 2022 at 9:55 AM