| Barb Biography |
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Conducting Kindy
Orchestra
aged 4 |
Barbara Bycroft (nee
Mountjoy) had an early interest in music and began playing the violin in
Whangarei tutored by Aage Nielsen. At age 7 she won the Northland Under
12 Violin Competitions (adjudicator, Lin Saunders - LCMS). She worked
through the Trinity and Royal Schools examinations up to grade 8 with
Eric Craig and Joan Glen in Auckland. She sang in church and school
choirs, had singing lessons and sang at any opportunity. Throughout her secondary schooling the violin took precedence over singing. She played in the Otahuhu College Orchestra for 5 years and was lead violin for 3. Barb played in the Auckland and National Secondary School Orchestras. In 1963 and 64 she was lead violin in the South Auckland Schools orchestras and was a national finalist in the Secondary Schools Chamber Music Competitions in 1964. |
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Barb also attended several
of the annual Cambridge Music Schools and Bay of Plenty Music Weeks
which involved intensive orchestral work. She was a member of the
Auckland Junior Symphony Orchestra after secondary schooling. Throughout
these years and into her early years of teaching she regularly played in
orchestras for operas, operettas and shows. After settling in Oratia in
the bush in West Auckland and starting a family, Barb joined the
Auckland Symphony Orchestra under Gary Daverne and enjoyed returning to
this scene – including the tour of Fiji whilst pregnant with number 3.
Her formal music teaching has involved itinerant violin teaching, classroom music teaching in both primary and secondary schools, tutoring at Bay of Plenty Music Weeks and running school orchestras. |
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Barb
has always had a background of Celtic music. Her father regularly
"called" for Scottish barn dances with live music. He also gave vigorous
Robbie Burns recitations! Barb grew up in the thriving Ingleside,
Caledonian and pipe band scene. She enjoyed the music and could play it
on the violin but the instruments fashionable at the time did not
accommodate the violin so she enjoyed the dancing instead! 