I really need to get better at this - another couple of years sail by and I haven't told you what's new around here! I guess there's a saying, “Everything old is new again”…let's go with that.
There are 4 pieces to feature from the last few years - it's been a bit slow in composing-world lately, but I'm putting the foot down this year so there will be more coming very soon. A range of levels and points of inspiration, hopefully you'll find something here that helps you or a colleague.
“Fantasy on Waltzing Matilda”, Grade 3
Waltzing Matilda is one of Australia's best-loved and best-known folk tunes, so I wanted an interesting piece without it just being a simple copy. Inspired by some other well-known contemporary composers' arrangements of other folk tunes, I tried my hand at this one. I've taken significant liberty with the harmonization in places, to stretch the ears of both audience & students alike, yet everything comes back in the end to the familiar. Ensembles must watch the conductor carefully as there are many variations in tempo.
“Sunset & Dawn”, Grade 1-1.5
This pair of short pieces are designed to give young players access to rhythms that are sometimes problematic in the early years of playing. Each piece focuses on a particular rhythmic pattern that is repeated often, and reinforced by having a number of parts playing in rhythmic unison while the other parts play a straight rhythm in unison. “Sunset on the Boulevard” highlights the crotchet-minim-crotchet rhythm, and “A New Day Dawns” gives ample opportunity for the dotted crotchet-&-quaver rhythm to be played both slurred & with separate bows, against long notes & steady crotchets, and by all parts.
“Golden Beaches”, Grade 2-2.5
In 2025, AUSTA (the Australian Strings Association) celebrated its 50th anniversary - with cake and everything! Written in conjunction with five other Queensland composers as part of a Suite, “Quintessentially Queensland”, and presented as a gift to AUSTA, Golden Beaches is a delightful piece with a variety of techniques & timbres to evoke the sense of being at one of our beautiful Gold Coast beaches. Whether swimming in the waves, walking along the shores observing the birds & wildlife or sitting & watching the sun rise, our beaches are lush & restorative places to be. Opening with a collection of solos over sustained harmonics & open strings, in this piece students will also enjoy pizzicato and legato playing, while the melody is passed around from section to section.
“Under Attack!”, Grade 1.5
Invasion! Surprise! Be on your guard in this exciting piece for aspiring young players. With an intense focus on the quaver & two semiquavers rhythm combined with lyrical lines & harmonics, students will explore a variety of techniques and sound colours. A “call and response” section gives voice to both upper & lower strings, while abundant rhythmic unison gives the ensemble a chance to establish a cohesive sound. With some counting challenges near the end, students may very well feel that their brains are Under Attack!
So there you go - a few years summarised in 4 paragraphs! Not really, there's been heaps of other things happening, but hopefully there's something here that will inspire you, or help you inspire your students. Feel free to share with a colleague as well if you think they could use something here. After all, that's what it's all for!
All the best for the rest of 2026 - see you soon!