Andrea Calilhanna
Andrea is currently a PhD Candidate and Contract Academic at Western Sydney University’s MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development. In 2018 Andrea was awarded a Master of Music (Musicology) by research at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and she was a Visiting Fellow at the MARCS Institute (2018). As part of her role she presented the paper ‘Teaching Music with Mathematics: A Pilot Study’ (Milne and Calilhanna, Springer, 2019) at the Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music Conference in Madrid. She has also been part of the sessional casual academic staff at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Andrea teaches Diploma level piano students through to beginners for both career and leisure outcomes.
She attained undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and also the Queensland University of Technology. She commenced studio music teaching and piano accompanying in 1984 and classroom music teaching in 1991. Her teaching subjects include piano, saxophone, keyboard, theory, musicianship, music craft, tutoring in HSC music, preparation for auditions, composition, ear training, sight-reading for solo or part-singing, and Gregorian Chant.
In her career as a musician, Andrea has performed in chamber music ensembles with many musicians including members of The Queensland Orchestra and she has conducted Catholic Church choirs in both Brisbane and Sydney. She also has industry experience playing jazz and popular music and reviews musical material for The Studio journal.
In her role as a classroom music teacher, where she was Co-ordinator for various Music Departments in both private and State schools, teaching both primary and secondary students, various universities in Queensland employed Andrea to train their student teachers. She was awarded the title and teaching level of Senior Teacher and in 2013 she received Accreditation with the NSW Institute of Teachers for Professional Competence. Andrea was awarded a Fellowship with the Collegiate of Specialist Music Educators in 2013.
Since graduation she has continued to play piano accompaniments for examinations, HSC, concerts, eisteddfods, musical societies, schools and university auditions. As well as her studio teaching Andrea also works part-time as a secondary music classroom teacher and conducts a vocal ensemble which sings mainly Liturgical music. In 2013 she was the adjudicator for the pianoforte section of the Castle Hill Festival of Performing Arts.
Apart from her role as an MTA Council member which she commenced in 2006, Andrea is a member of several professional associations including the Australian Society for Music Education; the Music Council of Australia; the Australian Music Centre; the Acoustical Society of America and the Collegiate of Specialist Music Educators. from which she was awarded a Fellowship in 2013.
Andrea is married with two children and has a family-friendly attitude and approach to teaching and enjoys teaching students of all ages and for examinations, concerts or leisure.