Life member – Lois McCallum
My music education started in Ōamaru — a small town north of Dunedin. At that time, the local Convent was where most students were sent for piano lessons. I was lucky enough to have a piano teacher who also taught the violin, and so my lessons began at about age seven. I then had lessons from Harry Ellwood (a founding member of the NZSO) who came down from Christchurch to Ōamaru on the rail car for a few days each week, and taught in a studio above the Farmers building.
When he could no longer travel to Ōamaru, I learned from Wendy Powell, one of Harry’s ex-students who had moved to Ōamaru. My mother offered to look after her five children and cook their evening meal if she would teach me!!! My lessons seemed to be very long… I think she was thrilled to have a break from her family!!!
While at Teachers’ College in Dunedin, I had lessons from Alice Kirshner, who told me she used to take the train to Germany for her violin lessons from Holland! Her teaching method was of course European, but looking back, it was quite similar to the Suzuki Method in that the repertoire she taught was started with Baroque composers.
My orchestral experience began when I was high school age, and started to attend the NZSSSO in Christchurch and Auckland — just two weeks of the year! I had two years in the National Youth Orchestra before marrying and starting a primary school teaching career. Travel overseas and then children curtailed my playing quite a bit, but fortunately I knew about the Christchurch School of Music, and fronted up one Saturday to ask if they needed a violin teacher. I was contacted later that term to ask if I would take over from an oovercommitted university student… I took over two Suzuki classes and one traditional class.
My knowledge of the Suzuki Method was very basic — my thinking at the time was, “how could any student memorise past Minuet 1?” Those of you who know the repertoire will have a good laugh!
I was very lucky that the CSM suggested I attend a Suzuki conference in Hamilton in 1984. This was the beginning of my commitment to the Suzuki Method. I came back totally fired up, and was fortunate in that I was given permission to form a Suzuki department, and organise the lessons and group lessons as I saw fit.
There were other violin teachers interested in Suzuki Method teaching, and so a committee of teachers and parents was soon formed, and our first workshop was held in 1985. Camps followed, and the camp for 2026 will be the 41st camp! I was head of the department for the Suzuki Programme at the Christchurch School of Music for 40 years, and have recently handed the running of this programme over to Alisa Smith. I have also run a Suzuki Programme at at Westburn School (a Year 1–8 school) for 40 years and have handed over the running of this programme to Iselta Allison.
Along with teaching at my home, life has been very busy! I was leader of a local amateur orchestra for many years, and am now playing in Resonance — another local amateur orchestra.
The support and encouragement from Suzuki colleagues over the years has been wonderful — I have never felt isolated or alone. It is such a sharing method. It is so heartwarming to see the next generation of Suzuki teachers coming through, most of whom have been Suzuki students. I wish them all the joy and pleasure that comes from being involved with such a wonderful organisation.
Thank you for the nomination for Life Membership of the New Zealand Suzuki Institute. I am profoundly honoured and humbled to receive this honour.
