To those in Australia..

[astroboy]

I'm just wondering what is the best institution to study (piano) at in Australia? I'm currently doing undergrad in Perth, western australia, and would like to continue undergrad/postgrad studies somewhere else in the country.. Which institution is really good for piano and stuff? thaaanx

Ryan

[Waldszenen]

Sydney Conservatorium, full stop

[astroboy]

yeah?? You go to sydney conservatorium? what is it like??

[prongated]

...sydney conservatorium I believe that current piano students at UNSW constantly beat current sydney conservatorium piano students in many competitions in Sydney???

No actually...Queensland conservatorium probably has the best facilities in Australia. Shigeru Kawais are very good instruments! ^^

[lostinidlewonder]

They're all poo.

[pentatonic_blue]

Yeah everyone knows its the Tasmanian Conservatory !  (yes thats right we have one)  Actually to be honest I have no idea what its like, I was going to go then decided doing a business degree would provide me a more stable future.

But yeah I hear good things about the Sydney one.

[Tash]

...sydney conservatorium I believe that current piano students at UNSW constantly beat current sydney conservatorium piano students in many competitions in Sydney???

really??! the pianists on scholarships are amazing, and then there's a bunch who are pretty decent, and then there's the remaining ones...i wouldn't say that performance is a majorly huge factor compared to sydney con, not for the music ed students anyway. however christine logan is head of the school of music and she's a pianist so tends to prioritise the pianists over the other instrumentalists, and one thing that's kind of good is that you get to choose your own teacher.

i've heard that newcastle con isn't bad- they apparently work harder than us unsw kids, but hey we're not a conservatorium!

[tds]

i've heard that newcastle con isn't bad- they apparently work harder than us unsw kids, but hey we're not a conservatorium!

newcastle con houses the stuart pianos. faculty is cool. long live newcastle

[Tash]

we've got a stuart as well!

[tds]

we've got a stuart as well!

that cool, tash. tho the real mr. stuart and his sons and the wife live in newcastle. went to their factory a few times. and of course having seen (and talked to) mr. "wine" stuart almost everyday then, i miss his wittiness and light heartedness. 

btw, try to notice the color change of the wood. it gets darker by time.

[Waldszenen]

They're all poo.

Boom!

[prongated]

however christine logan is head of the school of music and she's a pianist so tends to prioritise the pianists over the other instrumentalists, and one thing that's kind of good is that you get to choose your own teacher.

i've heard that newcastle con isn't bad- they apparently work harder than us unsw kids, but hey we're not a conservatorium!

...to quote Christine Logan: "The Stuart and Sons piano is just a pretty piece of furniture!"

Sorry Tash [hey I think I know you] and tds, but I don't like Stuart pianos, or the one at UNSW anyway. The Newcastle one is apparently good coz it's the first one made - then the quality goes downhill. From my personal experience performing on the UNSW one and listening to the Australia Ensemble, it's fine for some chamber pieces, but is hopeless for solo performances.

That said, I haven't played on it recently, and it seems to have gotten considerably better the last time I heard it. But still, if she prioritises piano students, we should have a Steinway or Shigeru concert grand by now!

By the way, I believe the Newcastle conservatorium broke down last year - you can't call it a conservatorium anymore

[tds]

...to quote Christine Logan: "The Stuart and Sons piano is just a pretty piece of furniture!"

Sorry Tash [hey I think I know you] and tds, but I don't like Stuart pianos, or the one at UNSW anyway. The Newcastle one is apparently good coz it's the first one made - then the quality goes downhill. From my personal experience performing on the UNSW one and listening to the Australia Ensemble, it's fine for some chamber pieces, but is hopeless for solo performances.

That said, I haven't played on it recently, and it seems to have gotten considerably better the last time I heard it. But still, if she prioritises piano students, we should have a Steinway or Shigeru concert grand by now!

By the way, I believe the Newcastle conservatorium broke down last year - you can't call it a conservatorium anymore

everyone has his/er own opinion on the stuart. i know some more famous people such as michael campanella, piers lane and michael harvey who like stuart quite much. back in the day, i practiced and played on the debut piano several times a week. i found the piano was very easy to voice, tho the sound wasnt necessarily the warmest. and when you play fff in the higher register, you get a wooden sound underneath the keyboard (some flaws on the action perhaps?). but overall i like the op.1 stuart piano.

...to quote Christine Logan: "The Stuart and Sons piano is just a pretty piece of furniture!"

some people have so big an ego

 

[tds]

By the way, I believe the Newcastle conservatorium broke down last year - you can't call it a conservatorium anymore

can u tell me more about it?

[prongated]

...to quote Christine Logan: "The Stuart and Sons piano is just a pretty piece of furniture!"

To add to the twist, several months later she performed Mozart's Sonata for 2 Pianos KV448 with Ian Munro with TWO STUART PIANOS!!! [UNSW only has one, so yeah...]

everyone has his/er own opinion on the stuart. i know some more famous people such as michael campanella, piers lane and michael harvey who like stuart quite much. back in the day, i practiced and played on the debut piano several times a week. i found the piano was very easy to voice, tho the sound wasnt necessarily the warmest. and when you play fff in the higher register, you get a wooden sound underneath the keyboard (some flaws on the action perhaps?). but overall i like the op.1 stuart piano.

Ian Munro also likes Stuarts...not sure if he's thinking about [a] particular build [and yes I've heard the op.1 Stuart is the best], but I believe Kieran-Harvey thinks it's impossible to get both a good and big sound in the upper register - you can get either a good but small sound, or a big but harsh sound.

Maybe it's the action [or even the acoustic - John Clancy auditorium @ UNSW is never meant to be a concert hall], but in any case I do wish the one at UNSW has more sound for the 9-foot grand that it is!

can u tell me more about it?

I could be completely wrong here because it's been quite long, but I think the Conservatorium ran into financial difficulties, so they dissolved and merged under the University of Newcastle. Anyway, Newcastle still offers music degrees .

[tds]

I could be completely wrong here because it's been quite long, but I think the Conservatorium ran into financial difficulties, so they dissolved and merged under the University of Newcastle. Anyway, Newcastle still offers music degrees .

the merge with university of newcastle took place long before last year. we can check the exact year on their website. the conservatorium acts as both the public school of music and the faculty of music of the university of newcastle.

[tds]

To add to the twist, several months later she performed Mozart's Sonata for 2 Pianos KV448 with Ian Munro with TWO STUART PIANOS!!! [UNSW only has one, so yeah...]

ah, tell me how she handled 'the pretty piece of furniture'?

[Tash]

...to quote Christine Logan: "The Stuart and Sons piano is just a pretty piece of furniture!"

Sorry Tash [hey I think I know you] and tds, but I don't like Stuart pianos, or the one at UNSW anyway. The Newcastle one is apparently good coz it's the first one made - then the quality goes downhill. From my personal experience performing on the UNSW one and listening to the Australia Ensemble, it's fine for some chamber pieces, but is hopeless for solo performances.

That said, I haven't played on it recently, and it seems to have gotten considerably better the last time I heard it. But still, if she prioritises piano students, we should have a Steinway or Shigeru concert grand by now!

actually i totally agree with you, i'm an usher at the australia ensemble concerts so get to hear it quite regularly and i'm not a fan of its tone for pre-20th century music. and then bernadette balkus tried playing shostakovich on it and that was 100% awful she just bashed the notes out i was like oh god!

Maybe it's the action [or even the acoustic - John Clancy auditorium @ UNSW is never meant to be a concert hall], but in any case I do wish the one at UNSW has more sound for the 9-foot grand that it is!

that's exactly what i've been thinking, it doesn't sing like steinways and yammies etc. do

i haven't actually tried playing it myself yet, will go have a play maybe during a choir break sometime...oh and we do have a steinway grand in the webster theatre, it's alright, not nearly as amazing as the one i played at the con though.

[tds]

and then bernadette balkus tried playing shostakovich on it and that was 100% awful she just bashed the notes out i was like oh god!

bernadette is a marvelous pianist, tho ur rite she tends to play way too loud sometimes.

[mikey6]

Stuart's suck! either that or Gerard Willems sucks (might be both ).
If you want to study in Australia, why not go for ANAM? it's probabyl the best in Aussie land if youre gonna go somewhere with a musical career otherwise ship of oevrseas like i'm doing (actually don't, it's really the biggest pain in the arse youll ever encounter!).
Otheriwse, come to Adelaide

[Tash]

bernadette is a marvelous pianist, tho ur rite she tends to play way too loud sometimes.

yeah she was better in the last lunchtime concert with them, i can't even remember what they were playing now, maybe it was brahms or something...but the shosty was truly awful from her part and it was a shame cos dene olding and dimity hall were playing so beautifully! like it was highly unprofessional, prongated (d*mn you've exploited me!! now i'm gonna have to watch what i write about unsw here...) i don't know if you saw it but i ripped her to shreds in my review

i dunno what ANAM even stands for...

[tds]

or Gerard Willems sucks (might be both ).

whats wrong with gerard? he is a good pianist

[tds]

yeah she was better in the last lunchtime concert with them, i can't even remember what they were playing now, maybe it was brahms or something...but the shosty was truly awful from her part and it was a shame cos dene olding and dimity hall were playing so beautifully! like it was highly unprofessional, prongated (d*mn you've exploited me!! now i'm gonna have to watch what i write about unsw here...) i don't know if you saw it but i ripped her to shreds in my review

i dunno what ANAM even stands for...

so sorry to hear that. that almost reminded me of one afternoon when bernadette was rehearsing with his brother, michael, preparing for a two piano recital. and yes, several times she kept overpowering michael. but everythin they did was truly professional, then.

[prongated]

the conservatorium acts as both the public school of music and the faculty of music of the university of newcastle.

...mmm yea I think that faculty of music's now dissolved...but yea, I forgot what actually happened...suffice to say that music courses are still being offered

ah, tell me how she handled 'the pretty piece of furniture'?

I missed the concert >.<

If you want to study in Australia, why not go for ANAM? it's probabyl the best in Aussie land if youre gonna go somewhere with a musical career otherwise ship of oevrseas like i'm doing (actually don't, it's really the biggest pain in the arse youll ever encounter!).
Otheriwse, come to Adelaide

ANAM = Australian National Academy of Music
Well, if you study piano at ANAM, that'll bolster their senior/tertiary enrolment up to um, five students!

whats wrong with gerard? he is a good pianist

...oh dear...Gerard Willems once performed Beethoven's Tempest and Appassionata as a guest artist to the Kawai Piano School in Sydney. It was fortunate that only one of the other internationals (guest artist and students) witnessed it - I'll only say that it did not live up to the expected standard of a person who has recorded all 32 Beethoven sonatas...by a long shot. Then again, he spliced pretty much every single page in those Beethoven recordings.

...no offence to him though...he's a very nice and sociable person for a head of keyboard department - he'll even turn up to his students' birthday dinners!!! [well, no rave parties obviously ]

[tds]

...oh dear...Gerard Willems once performed Beethoven's Tempest and Appassionata as a guest artist to the Kawai Piano School in Sydney. It was fortunate that only one of the other internationals (guest artist and students) witnessed it - I'll only say that it did not live up to the expected standard of a person who has recorded all 32 Beethoven sonatas...by a long shot. Then again, he spliced pretty much every single page in those Beethoven recordings.

...no offence to him though...he's a very nice and sociable person for a head of keyboard department - he'll even turn up to his students' birthday dinners!!! [well, no rave parties obviously ]

i understand what u talking about. similarly, i have witnessed a number of live concerts given by famous musicians who have recorded the pieces they played in the concerts i happened to attend. yes, some were quite bad, to say it blantly. but, i can never say that those musicians suck or that they are bad musicians.

btw, talking about playing badly in one or more recitals, i think no one can beat me in that regard. and am quite happy with this fact.

[prongated]

btw, talking about playing badly in one or more recitals, i think no one can beat me in that regard. and am quite happy with this fact.

Hahaha. You're funny.

[Teguh Sukaryo is it? woooo Indo pride!!! ><]

[tds]

Hahaha. You're funny.

[Teguh Sukaryo is it? woooo Indo pride!!! ><]

g'day!

i am not sure you understand my message

i meant to say that  no one plays more badly in recitals than me.

fair dinkum, i made you confused, but i am going hmmm.."south"  here. got it?

i'll shout you a beer if you are in the vicinity, but you gotta teach me how to play better. deal?

tds

[prongated]

i meant to say that no one plays more badly in recitals than me.

That's the funny bit. I've seen your YouTube posting, and if that's terrible, we must be in heaven already

Btw, I prefer bucks than beer for lessons

[tds]

ahhh...the thing is you haven't watched my bad recitals.

thats what i meant to say- when it goes bad, no one "beats" mine.

indo pride? what do you mean? i hope you arent being racist.

i'll shout you anything, but i want a good lesson 

[tds]

ok fine. as long as its under $ 300.00/hour ( which teacher charges that much?).

but first, tell me what you have to offer. ok?

btw, my government and i are working on a plan, i.e my recital tour in the top end of australia. i can surely drop by to sydney ( or anywhere else ) to meet you and have lesson then. sounds alright? tds

[prongated]

ok fine. as long as its under $ 300.00/hour ( which teacher charges that much?).

but first, tell me what you have to offer. ok?

Hmmm...I can tell you that you had gone to the wrong uni and should've attended UNSW? dunno if that's worth anything...

indo pride? what do you mean? i hope you arent being racist.

Oh not at all. I was born in Indonesia, and you are the first Indonesian I'm aware of in this forum, so...

btw, my government and i are working on a plan, i.e my recital tour in the top end of australia. i can surely drop by to sydney ( or anywhere else ) to meet you and have lesson then. sounds alright? tds

Oh wow! Put up information when the details are confirmed!!!

[tds]

Hmmm...I can tell you that you had gone to the wrong uni and should've attended UNSW? dunno if that's worth anything...

worth anything? not a cent! in fact, it is completely impertinent (read: rubbish ) that you are making a judgement about me and the university i should/should have not attended. since when our lesson issue becomes directly related to a university issue? and how and when is it related? please elaborate.

i told you i'll shout you a beer if you can teach me how to play better, but you responded by your telling me that you accepted bucks in return of giving lesson. following the logic, i offered you a lesson fee. and duh...you went completely off the track- rambling irrelevantly about university and UNSW. hello??

please explain only if you think you understand basic logic. otherwise, don't bother typing a single sentence. my time is for those who understand common sense.

Oh not at all. I was born in Indonesia, and you are the first Indonesian I'm aware of in this forum, so...

so why "woo indo pride!!"(progated)? can you explain? again use your logic. world doesn't operate too well without common sense. or perhaps you were being sarcastic?

Oh wow! Put up information when the details are confirmed!!!

i have a lot of confirmed information to tell for whatever its worth. but surely its worth nothing whatsoever for and in the presence of underdeveloped brain. show yourself some horse sense and you'll understand what confirmed information is really for.

tds

[prongated]

i'll shout you a beer if you are in the vicinity, but you gotta teach me how to play better. deal?

...this is where I base my 'logic' from. Given my previous bolstering of UNSW before my recent posts, I assumed you already know that I'm a student [for one, if I'm someone worthy to teach you, I might comment on your YouTube performance, instead of merely lavishing a single-sentence praise], and thus I assume that your recent suggestion about getting any kind of lesson from me is not serious. And I assume that the preceding assumptions are all wrong. [Unless you knew it all along and want to put me in a guilt trip anyway]

...certain bolstering or vent-offs are not always logical - all of mine [the best university in NSW, the 'lesson', and race-pride one] are obviously more spontaneous response than a well-thought-out one. While I think UNSW in a great uni to study music in, in no way am I serious about the comment I made about you studying at a different Uni.

Thus for all that, I apologise for the half-hour or more I made you waste in order to respond to nearly imbecilic comments.

[tds]

dear prongated,

of course you are forgiven. there are 2 things that might wanna learn from this:

1. do not just assume/presume
2. do not provoke. life is at times difficult enough w/out provokation.

else, you are as cool as anyone i know.

best, tds