Great Scot September 2018 Gt Scot_154_September_online | Page 42

Staff in profile
Interview: Peter Mander
Senior Voice Teacher, Music Department
University. I still teach voice at Monash University, and voice and German
Language and Diction at the University of Melbourne, and I am a voice
examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board.
My students can be found in many professional productions, in opera
and musical theatre in Australia, Germany, Italy and England. I have also
written and self-published a practical workbook: German Phonetics for
Singers, Accompanists and Students of German.
What are your roles as a Scotch music teacher?
At Scotch, I have been teaching singing since 2003. We started with
only seven voice students, but that number has increased over the past
16 years and we have more than 70 boys learning singing now. My role as
Senior Voice Teacher at Scotch is primarily to teach singing. Other duties
include taking sessional rehearsals at Choir Camp, rehearsing the soloists
for the musicals, and performing where required.
What do you believe motivates a Scotch boy to wish to learn a musical
instrument?
Scotch is very supportive of music, and every boy is encouraged to learn
a musical instrument. Singing has grown in popularity and acceptability over
the years. The passion for singing is nurtured through involvement in the
various choirs and other musical activities, and in the boys’ singing lessons.
When you sing, the vibrations alter your emotional and physical landscape
through the release of the feel good chemicals — the endorphins.
In what ways does music help to develop the well-rounded 21st
century Scotch Collegian?
Please share with us how you first developed a passion for music, and
give us some background of your studies and other professional roles
before you started at Scotch.
I commenced my musical career as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral
in Melbourne. After graduating from the University of Melbourne (B Mus
Ed and A Mus A), I performed with the Victoria State Opera and various
professional musical productions, before leaving for Germany in 1982.
There, over the next 12 years, I performed as a character and lyric tenor
in more than 50 roles in opera, operetta and musical theatre, as well as
regularly appearing as tenor soloist in concert and lieder recitals, including
all the major religious works of Bach, Haydn and Mozart, before returning to
Australia in 1994.
My predicament was: do I continue working in the theatre, or teach
singing and perform as a concert artist? This was really decided for me, as
I was invited to teach at all the then tertiary music institutions — the Melba
Memorial Conservatorium of Music, the Victorian College of the Arts, the
University of Melbourne, the Australian Catholic University and Monash
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Singing, and music, help develop a love and respect for musical culture
and culture in general. It has also been shown to improve academic pursuits
and results. The confident, cultivated and academically strong student is
what we desire in the well-rounded 21st century Scotch Collegian.
What do you most enjoy about your work at Scotch?
I most enjoy watching the boys grow in confidence and ability.
Maintaining a positive relationship with my students is paramount to them
achieving maximum results. Particularly with singing, which is the most
complicated neuro-physiological activity there is, the personal relationship
must maintain a positive, energetic and enjoyable atmosphere, if the
imparting of a solid vocal technique and the development of a love of
singing and expressing oneself through song is to succeed.
What is your favourite corner of the Scotch campus?
The James Forbes Academy is an exceptional facility, and I just love
being part of an exceptional team – staff and students. I hope that my input
and influence will have a lasting effect on the boys for the rest of their lives.
Great Scot Number 154 – September 2018