National Council
| Founder of the Institute | |
| Dr Deanna Hoermann | |
| Members of the National Council of the Institute | |
| President | Jason Boron |
| Vice-President | Stephanie Eaton |
| Immediate Past President: Ex Officio | Dr Jason Goopy |
| Secretary | John Goulter |
| Treasurer | Adele Hadgraft |
| Ordinary Council Member | Joel Copeland |
| Ordinary Council Member | Susan Fredline |
| Ordinary Council Member | Tess Laird |
| Ordinary Council Member | Anna van Veldhuisen |
| ACT Branch President | Katharine Finlayson |
| NSW Branch President | Catriona Turnbull |
| Qld Branch President | Deb Brydon |
| SA Branch President | Gaby Freer |
| Vic Branch President | Renée Heron |
| WA Branch President Representative | Hilary Keegan |
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Jason Boron President Jason Boron is a Lecturer in Music Education at Edith Cowan University (ECU) where he oversees the music specialisation for primary pre-service educators. He is an experienced music educator having taught in early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary settings. Jason is currently President of Kodály Australia and Vice Chairperson of the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) Western Australian Chapter. As an accredited lecturer for the AKC, Jason has presented courses for Kodály SA, Kodály WA and the Cuskelly College of Music. He has facilitated the Music Education Strategy ‘Musical Foundations’ professional development package for the Department for Education in South Australia. Jason is a past recipient of the Sárolta Kodály Scholarship awarded by the International Kodály Society and was in 2020 awarded the ECU Vice Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award for Innovative Teaching. Jason maintains regular contact with children as a co-director of Smalley for the Western Australian Young Voices. |
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Stephanie Eaton Vice-President Stephanie Eaton is the Director of Performance, Choral Coordinator and Curriculum Music Coordinator at Seymour College, Adelaide, South Australia. Stephanie holds the Grad. Dip Ed, (Secondary), B.Mus. Conducting (Choral), B. Mus Performance (piano), Adv Dip Musc (Accompanying) and L. Mus A (AMEB). She completed the Secondary stream of the AKC and developed her teaching and curriculum at Brisbane Girls Grammar School across 2011 – 2018. After returning to her hometown of Adelaide, Stephanie served as Vice President for the Kodaly SA branch and a key driver of the AKC (Australian Kodaly Course) and Music Education Strategy (MES) currently offered in Adelaide. Stephanie delivers the Musicianship component at the choral school, Young Adelaide Voices and sings in the Aurora, the graduate choir of Young Adelaide Voices. She was awarded the Outstanding Service to Kodaly SA Award, Kodaly Music Education Institute (SA Branch) at the Educators SA, World Teacher’s Day Awards 2021. |
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Dr Jason Goopy Immediate Past President: Ex Officio Dr Jason Goopy is Lecturer in Music Education at Edith Cowan University where he coordinates secondary school and instrumental music education. He has previously held sessional academic roles at The University of Queensland and Griffith University and draws upon 15 years of leading arts programs and teaching music in Queensland combined primary and secondary schools. Jason’s research investigates the interface between music education and music psychology using arts-based research methods. His doctoral research received the Australian Society for Music Education Callaway Doctoral Award for investigating the role of music in boys’ lives and the contributions of school music to their identity construction. He serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Music Education and the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing. Jason is the Vice President of the Australian Society for Music Education, Immediate Past President of Kodály Australia, and is an Advisory Group member for the Alberts Tony Foundation philanthropic project, Music Education: Right from the Start. |
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John Goulter Secretary John Goulter is the Head of Music and Performance at St Patrick’s College Townsville where he has developed a 7-12 Kodaly Inspired curriculum and has undertaken continued service-learning projects with local Indigenous community groups which have led to presentations for Kodaly QLD and at the International Kodaly Symposium resulting publication of research through the International Kodaly Society. Completing his undergraduate teacher and music training under Judith Fromyhr at Australian Catholic University and with various Kodaly Practitioners in Brisbane he has continued to develop his understanding of the Kodaly Concept through Summer Schools at the Cuskelly College of Music and Kodaly Academy, completing a Secondary Australian Kodaly Certificate. He is currently completing a Master of Music in Music Education with a Kodaly Emphasis at Holy Names University. He has a keen interest in practical ethnomusicology undertaking independent excursions to Japan, Tuva, and India, and adapting the Kodaly concept to the world of Jazz. |
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Adele Hadgraft Treasurer Adele Hadgraft holds a Graduate Diploma in Kodály music pedagogy from the Kodály Institute of the Franz Liszt Academy, Hungary and a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) from the Australian Catholic University. Her key area of interest is the integration of Kodály pedagogy into instrumental music teaching. In particular, the teaching sequence for beginner clarinet and beginner concert band. Adele was a member of the QYO Wind Symphony and has played with the World Youth Wind Orchestra Project on six occasions. Adele is a Chartered Accountant, with experience in audit, financial accounting, professional mentoring, tertiary-level teaching and lecturing. |
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Joel Copeland Ordinary Council Member Joel Copeland currently holds the position of Director (Co-curricular) at Canberra Girls Grammar School, following on from the establishment of the Music Academy in the role of Dean of Music. Prior to this, he was employed at Radford College where he was Head of Music and Director of Choirs. Joel holds a Master of Education (Educational Leadership), a Bachelor of Education (Secondary Music), has been an exponent of the Kodály philosophy throughout his teaching career and in 2015, received the Australian Kodály Certificate in Secondary Music Education. He is a regular presenter at conferences and workshops around the country and is an accredited Australian Kodaly Certificate lecturer. In 2016, Joel obtained an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Management through the Australian Institute of Management and in 2021 was certified by the Teacher Quality Institute as a Lead Teacher. He has directed bands, orchestras and ensembles across all year levels and has a strong passion for choral music. Joel’s experience in leadership and governance extended to his role as a Director of the Radford College Board in 2016. With experience teaching students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Year 12 as well as adult music learners in a community setting, Joel believes that music education should be made accessible to all and above all else, music learning should be fun and engaging. In 2010, Joel spent 18 months in the UK as the Assistant Director of Music at Kent College, Canterbury. Joel also undertook a 4 year term as the National President of the Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia (KMEIA Inc.) and is also a past President of the ACT Music Educators Network (ACTMEN). Joel was involved in the Music Australia delegation to Parliament House in 2017 and has previously held positions on the National Council of the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME). |
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Susan Fredline Ordinary Council Member Susan Fredline is an experienced music educator who has taught classroom music and directed choirs, in a range of schools, to students aged three to eighteen years of age. Most of Susan’s teaching experience has been in the rural and remote areas of Queensland. Since being based in Toowoomba she has gained experience in Catholic Education and other private school settings. Her main interests, outside of the primary music curriculum, are choral music and making recorders sound beautiful. From 2011 to 2019 Susan was the elected Treasurer for KMEIA National Council. She currently teaches Music in two Catholic Schools in the Toowoomba Diocese. |
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Tess Laird Ordinary Council Member Tess Laird has been a music specialist for 30 years and holds a Masters in Music Studies from the University of QLD. She is an accredited lecturer for the Australian Kodály Certificate and was recently awarded Honorary Life Membership of Kodaly Australia. Tess has regularly provided professional development throughout Australia, and she presented at the International Kodály Symposiums recently in Scotland, Canada and Malaysia. During her career, Tess has demonstrated a solid commitment to providing quality music education in state schools, as well as helping to formulate KMEIA’s responses to the National Curriculum, and to the Victorian Parliament’s Enquiry into the Benefits of Music Education. Tess has worked on compiling a series of pentatonic exercises on an interactive audio CD called “Purely Pentatonic”. |
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Anna van Veldhuisen Ordinary Council Member Anna van Veldhuisen is a secondary music teacher and early career researcher based in Melbourne. She currently teaches senior school music and conducts choirs at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, having completed her Australian Kodaly Certificate in 2018. Prior to working at IGGS, Anna taught at the VCA Secondary School and led the music program at Alice Miller School in Macedon. She is currently undertaking doctoral study at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, researching Australian teachers’ experiences and enactments of Kodaly-inspired professional learning. Anna has presented at a range of national and international music education conferences, including ASME, ANZARME, ISSME, ISPME, the IKS, and the National Kodaly Conference, together with continued assessment and development work for the VCE curriculum authority in the Music Style & Composition subject. She is currently Vice-President of the Victorian branch of KMEIA. |
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Katharine Finlayson ACT Branch President Katharine has been a Preschool and Primary School Music Specialist teacher for 32 years, working in Queensland, Victoria, the ACT and London. She has a B. Mus. Ed. Degree from the Qld Conservatorium of Music, with Distinction. Katharine’s sequential, developmental teaching programs are based on the Kodaly philosophy, reflecting her passion for singing. In 2011 Katharine received a National Award for Excellence in School Music Education. In 2014, she was nominated for the Katalin Forrai award for Preschool Music Education, which was administered by the International Kodaly Society. Katharine is currently employed as the Executive Teacher, Professional Practice for Music and the Arts in the ACT. She works with classroom teachers across a number of schools, supporting them to deliver music education programs to their classes and to develop choirs. She is the founder and conductor of the successful ACT Primary and Senior Concert Choirs. In 2016 the ACT Primary Concert Choir received a Community Service Award from the OAM Association, presented by the Governor General. Katharine is a Nationally Certified Lead Teacher (AITSL) and she is the President of KMEIA ACT. |
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Catriona Turnbull NSW Branch President Catriona Turnbull is a classroom teacher (currently P-6) and director of several choirs at Ascham School in Sydney. She has a keen interest in how children learn to read music and become independent musicians. Catriona combines this interest with exceptional IT skills and a love of visual presentation. She has explored and developed many resources to facilitate the education of children in secondary, primary and infants school. Catriona has a passion for choral music and believes every child should have the opportunity to find their voice and experience the joy of singing in a choir. |
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Deb Brydon Qld Branch President Deb Brydon is a primary music specialist who has taught music for over 20 years, been an accredited do-re-mi early childhood teacher and worked as a Senior Project Writer with the Education Queensland’s Curriculum into the Classroom (C2C) project. Deb has been the project co-ordinator for Kodály QLD’s DVD Projects including Musical Beginnings, Middle Years Music Education and Step Up With Music. She holds an Australian Kodály Certificate (Early Childhood), is an Honorary Life Member of Kodály Australia and is currently President of Kodály QLD. In 2020 Deb was nationally accredited as a Highly Accomplished Teacher by AITSL. She lives on Yagara Country with her husband and 3 children. |
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Gaby Freer SA Branch President Gaby did her initial music and educational training in Switzerland. She studied voice at the Konservatorium in Zürich as well as gained her qualification as a primary school teacher there. Since arriving in Australia in 1988 Gaby has been teaching music programs in schools and early childhood settings. She currently teaches and assesses Choir for Festival of Music- a departmental Choral Program for students in Y 5-7. She is the deputy conductor for SAPPS (South Australian Public Primary School Choir- an auditioned extracurricular choir). Gaby has been part of the National Music Mentoring Program (NMTMP) as an initial mentor. She will continue this role in 2019 and expand into mentoring the mentors as lead mentor. Gaby has been part of the KMEIA SA committee for the past 11 years, she has served in different roles and is currently president of Kodály SA. She is a regular presenter at their workshops. She has also presented for ANCA SA. Gaby lectures and teaches at Flinders University, working with preservice teachers in workshop series to implement Music into their teaching practice. |
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Renée Heron Vic Branch President Renée Heron is currently the Artistic Director of The Yarra Voices and a primary classroom music teacher at Caulfield Grammar, Malvern Campus. In 2016-17, She had the privilege of attending the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary. Renée is a musicianship and methodology course lecturer for Kodály Australia, where she serves as President of the Victorian Branch and acts as a regular adjudicator and workshop presenter. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Queensland, an AMusA on violin and a Master of Teaching from the University of Melbourne. Renée is a core member of Melbourne based chamber choir, Polyphonic Voices and a founding member of treble vocal ensemble Alta Collective. |
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Hilary Keegan WA Branch President Representative Hilary Keegan studied at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, the Kodály Institute in Hungary and was awarded the highest Honors in her Masters of Music, in Music Education (with a Kodály emphasis), from Holy Names University, California. Hilary is currently enjoying her maternity leave from PLC, Perth with her daughter, Shannon Elodie. Hilary established ‘School of Musical Heartbeats’ with group Music classes on offer for Newborns to Age 7 children, Adult Musicianship Classes, and Teacher Workshops. When at PLC Hilary is Head of Choral and teaches students from Pre-Kindy (age 3) to Senior School classes. Hilary is also a sessional academic lecturer at ECU. Hilary directs a community choir; Irish Choir Perth, and thoroughly enjoys presenting at professional development courses for parents & educators. |
| National Council Standing Committees / Positions | |
| Education Committee | Dr Jason Goopy (convenor) Jason Boron Dr James Cuskelly OAM Stephanie Eaton Gaby Freer Tess Laird Julie Logan Hayley McDonald-Burns Deborah Smith Catriona Turnbull |
| Finance and Strategic Planning Committee | Jason Boron (convenor) Sue Beech (consultant) Stephanie Eaton Susie Fredline Johnathon Goulter Adele Hadgraft Adam Kehl |
| Reconciliation Committee | Renée Heron (convenor) Gillian Archer Jason Boron Deb Brydon Adele Cummings Katharine Finlayson Johnathon Goulter |
| Scholarships and Awards Committee | Catriona Turnbull (convenor) Jason Boron Tess Laird Anna van Veldhuisen |
| Webmaster | Dr Jason Goopy |
| National Council Project Committees | |
| Kodály Australia 50 Years Celebrations | Jason Boron (convenor) Stephanie Eaton Hayley McDonald-Burns Rosalie Scott Catriona Turnbull |
| Insurance | Jason Boron Stephanie Eaton Dr Jason Goopy Sue Beech (consultant) |
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