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0412 670 187

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Meet the teachers

 

The Vov Dylan Violin Academy endeavours to bring together a team of teachers to give each student the best opportunities and learning potential in every area of their musical journey.

 

On this page you will find details on some of the regular teachers that students will become familiar with over the course of their study with Vov Dylan.


 

 

DR STEPHEN WATSON 

  • Musicianship / Theory training
  • Aural training
  • General Knowledge

 

DR STEPHEN WATSON PH.D; MCA; BME; DSCM; FTCL; LTCL; LMUSA; AMUSA

 

DR STEVE WATSON HAS PROVIDED MUSIC EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION. HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS TEACHING CAREER INCLUDE HIS TENURED POSITION AS SENIOR LECTURER IN MUSIC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY.  WHILE AT UWS, STEVE TAUGHT HARMONY AND ANALYSIS, AURAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT, PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES, MUSIC HISTORY, MUSICAL DIRECTION, ARRANGING AND ORCHESTRATION, AND SONG WRITING.

 

AT THE VOV DYLAN ACADEMY OF VIOLIN STEVE’S RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

 

  • THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS’ AURAL SKILLS, NOT ONLY FOR EXAMINATION PURPOSES, BUT ALSO FOR DIRECTLY APPLYING A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF PITCH AND INTONATION TO MUSIC PERFORMANCE;

 

  • INCREASING STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE FORM AND STRUCTURE OF HIS/HER REPERTOIRE OF MUSIC CURRENTLY BEING STUDIED. THIS INCREASED UNDERSTANDING FORTIFIES THE STUDENT TO PERFORM EACH PIECE WITH GREATER CLARITY OF EXPRESSION AND MEANING. 

 

  • INCREASING A STUDENT’S GENERAL AND SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE REPERTOIRE CURRENTLY BEING STUDIED. HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF A COMPOSER’S STYLE AND HISTORIC INFLUENCES PROVIDES A STUDENT WITH INSIGHT INTO A COMPOSER’S METHODS OF MUSICAL COMMUNICATION, WHICH CAN BE DIRECTLY APPLIED IN PERFORMANCE.

 

 

 


glenn amer

  • Rehearsal Pianist
  • Ensemble Training
  • Aural Training

Glenn Amer was born in Sydney, Australia.
He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School and later at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he majored in Pianoforte (studying with Alma Coote, Sarah Grunstein and Gabriella Pusner), Composition (with Michael Whittaker, Michael Smetanin and Richard Vella), Clarinet (Terrence Stirzaker) and Singing (with Maree Ryan at the Conservatorium and later with Thaïs Taras and Horst Hoffmann). His minor studies also included French Horn (with Campbell Barnes).  
When only 13 years of age, Glenn studied with renowned Australian accompanist, Geoffrey Parsons, in London.
Glenn is also a freelance conductor and répétiteur (having worked with Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, and Pacific Opera, of which Glenn was also Artistic and Musical Director)
Glenn is regularly called upon to adjudicate Eisteddfods all over Australia and also recently adjudicated the New Zealand Eisteddfod.
In addition to his busy performance and recording schedules, Glenn maintains a vocal technique and voice coaching studio in Sydney. 
Glenn has been on the staff of the Australian National Academy of Music (in Melbourne) and also at the Australian Institute of Music (in Sydney). He is currently the Artistic Director of a private music school in Sydney's North Shore. 
AT THE VOV DYLAN ACADEMY OF VIOLIN Glenn's responsibilities will include:
  • Regular Piano rehearsals for students undertaking exams or other performances

 

  • Development of understanding of how ensemble performance works
  • Passing on knowledge on how to not only relate to a small ensemble, but also how to relate to and conduct an Orchestra

GABRIEL DEBURGH

  • Theory & Musicianship Lessons
  • Vocal Coaching
  • School Music Exam Coaching

Gabriel Deburgh’s musical roots go back into his childhood. At age three, Gabriel was given the opportunity to indulge his love for the sound of the cello. His parents noticed his fascination every time this instrument played on a classical recording and decided to see if he possessed any aptitude for the “big violin”. Thus, Gabriel’s musical journey began.

 

From age three to six, Gabriel participated in the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music’s Childhood Music Education Program; showing potential in both cello and piano. The Conservatorium nurtured these talents and would play a pivotal role throughout the entirety of his pre-university years. At age ten, Gabriel began work with the distinguished Albanian Cellist Ilir Merxhushi, who took him under his wing and fostered a desire for excellence. It was during this period that Gabriel was also introduced to composer, pianist and vocalist John Spence. John opened to him the worlds of theory and composition, and began to explore Gabriel’s newest interest: singing.

 

In his teenage years Gabriel had the opportunity to study and perform across a wide array of musical disciplines and styles. As a cellist, he has put on a number of well-received public recitals; and has toured with several youth orchestras, most notably as the principal cellist of the Bluescope Steel Orchestra during its tour of Italy in 2013. Gabriel was also the principal cellist performing in conductor and composer Nigel Edwards’ prize-winning Camerata chamber ensemble, which held regular concerts around NSW. As a vocalist, Gabriel received classical instruction under Opera Australia’s David Foley and International Soprano Christa Leahmann. He also has enjoyed the privilege of working with the renowned Dr. Steve Watson in both classical and contemporary fields.

 

In 2014 Gabriel undertook an Advanced Diploma of Music at TAFE NSW’s North Wollongong Campus, headed up by Dr. Michael Barkl. Under his tutelage Gabriel developed a keen interest in jazz and graduated top of the class, receiving both the Creative Industries Award and Outstanding Achievement Award. This was also the year that Gabriel became the keyboard/synth player for the Reggae, Funk-Rock band Blueberry Circuit; which toured extensively around the Eastern Seaboard with acts such as Ocean Alley and Lime Cordiale.

 

In 2018 Gabriel completed a Bachelor of Music Performance majoring in Classical Voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. During the four year degree programme, he covered an enormous range of repertoire and has learnt from some of the best in the profession; including the internationally acclaimed Baritone Barry Ryan, Dr. Maree Ryan, Dr. Michael Halliwell, Dr. Rowena Cowley and Dr. Neil McEwan.

 

Gabriel’s primary project outside of university is fronting Sydney-based pop band Cosmic Spice. The group is made up entirely of fellow Conservatorium students, and the camaraderie and chemistry they share is obvious when they take to the stage. Gabriel is best able to put his creative flair to use in this situation as his deep love of 70s and 80s classics, mixed with his background in jazz harmony, is perfectly met when composing for Cosmic Spice. Though less than two-years-old, the band has met with some fantastic success. Cosmic Spice featured regularly in shows across the NSW seaboard, sharing the stage with Sex on Toast, Tyne-James Organ, Bad Pony and Thunderfox to name a few. Their debut EP In Spring was met with enormous enthusiasm, generating hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify and Apple Music, and packing out venues in the resulting tour.

 

Gabriel Deburgh is a unique performer with a substantial toolset of influences, styles and techniques at his disposal. He is devoted to his music, and eagerly anticipates discovering the path ahead.

 

Some of Gabriel’s accomplishments include:

 

Bachelor of Music (Performance) Classical Voice – Sydney Conservatorium of Music; achieving a Distinction average over four years of study

ATCL Cello Recital with Distinction

Advanced Diploma of Music TAFE

Outstanding Achievement Award TAFE

Creative Industry Award TAFE

Final AMEB Contemporary Popular Music (Vocal) – High Distinction

Grade 8 AMEB Speech and Drama – High Distinction

2012 Shoalhaven Arts Board Certificate of Recognition

2010 & 2012 May Pusey Scholarship, Wollongong Eisteddfod