How awesomely fortunate have Australian young people been to experience Don Burrows' inspiration, enthusiasm, professionalism, generosity and graciousness. As community arts facilitator and coordinator of arts program as a teacher at Euroa Secondary College in Vic, and I was so surprised when Don agreed to come and visit our young musicians. We were a very small country school, and cultural opportunities of high value were rare. I thought it would cost the earth, but Don said he would come for free, he had recently been honoured with the Australian Arts Fellowship. @donburrows We had just completed the building of a beautiful mud brick hexagonal music room, a bicentennial project, with lead light windows, when Don and Gorge Golla [@georgegolla] entered to a waiting crowd of music enthusiasts. Few had any idea what they were in for, few knew what jazz was, some were taking up an instrument for the first time, because their parents had an inkling that there was something about to happen, something very special they wanted their children to experience. Some parents knew of Don from his long running television Jazz show. Don strolled in with two or three horns, and unpacked his flute (maybe it was the clarinet) - looked up at the colouful landscape glass (with 5 black wavering black lead bars in a continuous stave) and played our windows - 'Advance Australia Fair' - with swing - and did it swing. He and George workshopped our young students, put them through the rigour of learning music, and the joys of the sound they could make under his guidance. Large concert band sessions, small group tuition, teacher professional development, and eventually presented a concert - @Bob Sedergreen, @Sonja Horbelt and @Annette Jenko Yates supported him, pulling the student mix into a credible public performance. He stayed about a week the first time, and to our delight said he wanted to come back for 3 years, not just be a flash in the pan sort of experience, but to help the students and the music program grow. Each time the experience was so extraordinarily rich, and each time the students learnt more tunes, more skills, more music pedagogy, more about actually listening to their own voice through their instruments, and listening to each other, and supporting their friends, to make it musically safe if they went out on a limb to improvise. And more music discipline - Don didn't compromise - he laughed a lot, but behind that joviality was the serious message that it take a lot of dedication and hard work - to become a musician, and to present music to the public. Most of all they heard, many for the first time ever, what it was to absolutely swing music. @Kevin Hunt joined him after George retired from touring schools. Don reached about 400 students one year when we hosted the annual band 'camp' - a one day camp of music workshops with many pros. from Melbourne. Students bussed in from Talangatta - 80Km away, up in the high country, Mansfield, Year, Alexandra, Seymour, Kilmore, Broadford, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Benalla and Wangaratta - a total of about 400 square km . And the night time concert was a hoot, if somewhat logistically challenging. He even presented an exhibition of about 80 framed photographs he had taken over the ears. What an amazing musical experience. (couldn't be done in today's economic rationalistic climate!!! -the organisation of it took imagination, team work, cooperation and risk taking - talk about high quality teaching and learning!!!) Did it lead to any long term musical talent - you betcha. more importantly, it was an extraordinary high quality musical experience for a whole community. VALE DON BURROWS facebook.com/donburrowsjazz/
I heard tonight the sad news that Don has passed away. I was lucky to spend many hours working on TV shows he appeared in along with George Golla and to attend venues years later after their epic Brazil visit to hear the fresh and exciting music that resulted. My children got to hear Don at the Jazz Festival at Manly. What a superb musician and a fine gentleman he was. RIP Don. And remember. Put a reed in!
Un grande al sax che imprime un ritmo travolgente ad un classico.
How awesomely fortunate have Australian young people been to experience Don Burrows' inspiration, enthusiasm, professionalism, generosity and graciousness. As community arts facilitator and coordinator of arts program as a teacher at Euroa Secondary College in Vic, and I was so surprised when Don agreed to come and visit our young musicians. We were a very small country school, and cultural opportunities of high value were rare. I thought it would cost the earth, but Don said he would come for free, he had recently been honoured with the Australian Arts Fellowship. @donburrows
We had just completed the building of a beautiful mud brick hexagonal music room, a bicentennial project, with lead light windows, when Don and Gorge Golla [@georgegolla] entered to a waiting crowd of music enthusiasts. Few had any idea what they were in for, few knew what jazz was, some were taking up an instrument for the first time, because their parents had an inkling that there was something about to happen, something very special they wanted their children to experience. Some parents knew of Don from his long running television Jazz show.
Don strolled in with two or three horns, and unpacked his flute (maybe it was the clarinet) - looked up at the colouful landscape glass (with 5 black wavering black lead bars in a continuous stave) and played our windows - 'Advance Australia Fair' - with swing - and did it swing.
He and George workshopped our young students, put them through the rigour of learning music, and the joys of the sound they could make under his guidance. Large concert band sessions, small group tuition, teacher professional development, and eventually presented a concert - @Bob Sedergreen, @Sonja Horbelt and @Annette Jenko Yates supported him, pulling the student mix into a credible public performance.
He stayed about a week the first time, and to our delight said he wanted to come back for 3 years, not just be a flash in the pan sort of experience, but to help the students and the music program grow. Each time the experience was so extraordinarily rich, and each time the students learnt more tunes, more skills, more music pedagogy, more about actually listening to their own voice through their instruments, and listening to each other, and supporting their friends, to make it musically safe if they went out on a limb to improvise.
And more music discipline - Don didn't compromise - he laughed a lot, but behind that joviality was the serious message that it take a lot of dedication and hard work - to become a musician, and to present music to the public. Most of all they heard, many for the first time ever, what it was to absolutely swing music.
@Kevin Hunt joined him after George retired from touring schools. Don reached about 400 students one year when we hosted the annual band 'camp' - a one day camp of music workshops with many pros. from Melbourne. Students bussed in from Talangatta - 80Km away, up in the high country, Mansfield, Year, Alexandra, Seymour, Kilmore, Broadford, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Benalla and Wangaratta - a total of about 400 square km . And the night time concert was a hoot, if somewhat logistically challenging. He even presented an exhibition of about 80 framed photographs he had taken over the ears. What an amazing musical experience. (couldn't be done in today's economic rationalistic climate!!! -the organisation of it took imagination, team work, cooperation and risk taking - talk about high quality teaching and learning!!!) Did it lead to any long term musical talent - you betcha. more importantly, it was an extraordinary high quality musical experience for a whole community. VALE DON BURROWS
facebook.com/donburrowsjazz/
I heard tonight the sad news that Don has passed away. I was lucky to spend many hours working on TV shows he appeared in along with George Golla and to attend venues years later after their epic Brazil visit to hear the fresh and exciting music that resulted. My children got to hear Don at the Jazz Festival at Manly.
What a superb musician and a fine gentleman he was. RIP Don. And remember. Put a reed in!
Don bloody Buzza ma brother !!!! Yewwwww
Vale Don Burrows