I’d like to share with you a little bit about myself.
I started playing piano at seven years of age. I remember in the first few weeks feeling really frustrated because I couldn’t remember which notes were which. But persistence paid off and it gradually became easier.
I’ve never done a music exam in my life! My early pieces were old time sing-along songs.
Around the time I started high school, I changed music teachers. Mr B lived just a block away from us. He was a little eccentric but he was a brilliant musician. He encouraged me to build up my repertoire so I could play at restaurants and wedding receptions. He also taught me some classical music.
Meanwhile I finished school and studied maths, science and computing at university, graduating as a secondary teacher of maths and science. My teaching took me firstly to Darwin, then the UK. I lived in England for six years. During this time I holidayed in Europe roughly 30 times. What an experience! These days I am back in Australia teaching maths at Deakin College, Geelong.
I’ve always been interested in meditation. It has been part of my life for over 20 years now.
Shortly after moving to Geelong, I started to play the harp. My background in piano helped me learn more quickly. In 2017 I suffered a frozen shoulder and I thought I would never be able to play the harp again. But after a few years’ recovery and some good advice from other harpists, I’m happy to say that I’m playing again.
Also, in the last few years, I’ve started writing books. I love the idea of teaching a meaningful message through stories. I have mostly written children’s fiction so far but I am keen to progress to adult’s fiction soon.
So, why am I telling you all of this? I guess it feels like the different aspects of my life are all starting to come together. By offering online courses and face-to-face training in mindfulness, I am combining my music, meditation and teaching skills. But most of all I want to help people to feel good about themselves and live life to the full.