Marie Willis

Marie draws on over 25 years of facilitating learning, and fostering well-being through the power of musical connections with people from many walks of life. Her roles have included ‘Music Educator/Tutor’, ‘Workshop Facilitator’, ‘Performing Arts Specialist’ and a 10 year career as a ‘Registered Music Therapist’.

She has tutored instrumental music lessons- both individual and small groups; privately and within the context of out-of-hours music schools and other music programs (such as Lewis Eady in-school teaching and Sistema Aotearoa), and more recently as an itinerant music teacher (Motueka High School). Additionally, she has facilitated small-group class series of foundational music classes for children, and for parents and infants underpinned by the Dalcroze Eurhythmics approach to music education.

As a performer Marie has played for diverse musical ensembles; from theatre groups to kiirtan groups, concert wind orchestras, jazz bands and symphony orchestras. She has played as a fairy minstrel for several school fairs, and even once played recorder for a circus performance, whilst hanging upside down from a tree! She currently plays with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra as a clarinettist.

Marie understands that every human is a musical being, and that everybody is capable of exploring the vast world of music, and is able to make meaningful connections through it. It is her passion to facilitate musical journeys of discovery; to scaffold learning experiences, and empower people to be their most musical self.

Marie’s teaching approach is influenced by active approaches to music learning; namely Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Orff Schulwerk, and the Kodály Method. She has experienced in her own training, and with her students that embodied engagement using the body, voice and ear, through music-movement games and improvisation serves to foster comprehensive musicianship skills. This approach develops musicians as flexible, responsive, and creative artists.

Marie approaches each student’s musical journey holistically and is interested in them as creative, emotional, playful beings. She plays for, and alongside her students and encourages them to listen to a variety of music and musicians. She is curious to learn what her students can teach her! Having grappled with the beginnings of learning the Carnatic flute, Salsa and Samba and the Spanish language, Marie understands first-hand the challenges students face in learning to speak a language of sound and movement.