THOSE driving past Mumbulla School this week would have heard beautiful music drifting out of its many rooms.
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The South Coast Music Camp was being held there and people aged six to 60 were making music on string, wind, brass, percussion instruments and more.
“It’s our sixth year here now, and some people have been coming back every year for those six years so the routine is getting really well established,” camp director Geoffrey Badger said.
“The standards are getting better too.”
He estimated in the first year there were 60 students, while this year there were 143.
It was the fifth time teaching at the camp for the Acacia Quartet, which is made up of Anna Martin-Scrase on cello, Stefan Duwe on viola, and Lisa Stewart and Myee Clohessy on violin.
“The reason we come back here is to meet old friends again,” Mr Duwe said.
The ensemble has seen progress in the students’ playing over the years, and has enjoyed teaching at the camp.
“It’s also encouraging for us as a quartet,” Ms Stewart said.
They have also found there was more of an appreciation and love of string, brass and wind music in regional areas such as the Valley than in metropolitan areas.
“Compared to the Northern Beaches, which is where we are from, I think there’s more [here],” Ms Martin-Scrase said.
She said there are parts of Sydney where string and wood music popularity is strong, however it depends on what tutors and teachers are there to encourage people to take up such music and push for events such as the South Coast Music Camp.
They said Mr Badger had been doing great work in the Bega Valley in that respect.
The Acacia Quartet will be back for next year’s South Coast Music Camp, as well as already having two concerts booked in the local area around this time next year.
Until then, catch them on Sunday at Four Winds’ Windsong Pavilion when they play with the Arcadia Quintet.
The final concert for the South Coast Music Camp is on Friday from 2.30-4pm at Mumbulla School’s Susan Haris Hall - entry is by donation.
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