Melville-Clark, Paula – Top music teacher Down Under

Paula Melville-Clark (1955-   )

KNOWN then simply as Paula Clark, her family came to Grantham from York in 1967 living just outside of town at Cold Harbour, later moving to Harlaxton Road.

Her father played the piano and banjo and singalongs at the piano were a daily event in the household.

At five years old she could do a great imitation of Cilla Black singing Anyone who had a heart, although when she made her debut singing performance at a local music festival her voice was inaudible. She started formal piano lessons aged six.

On arriving in Grantham aged 12, she joined St Hugh’s School for four years, then a year at Grantham College for O & A Levels.

Her music teacher at St Hugh’s was Geoff Winter.  She was already a proficient young pianist (taught by Ann Abbott in Grantham and later Arthur Merrick in Nottingham) but when she started at St Hugh’s, Geoff took her on as an organ student.

She studied organ with him for four years and was also in school choirs, musicals, eisteddfods etc. When studying for her Licentiate Guildhall School of Music exams Geoff tutored her in harmony.

She said: “He has always taken a wonderful interest in his students past and present and has remained my mentor and friend. In 2010 we performed together in a piano duo recital for my mother’s 80th birthday at Finkin St Chapel (on the same piano I had performed on so many times at the Grantham Music Festival.”

She first went to Australia for two years in 1983, living and working in Sale, Victoria.

Paula took music and dance training in London and held teaching positions in England, France, Hong Kong and Australia working with children, tertiary students, teachers, dancers and actors in many areas related to music and movement.

From 1986-1993 she lived and worked in Hong Kong and from there returned to Australia settling in Toowoomba, Queensland, with her Australian partner Barry and their two labradors Bob & Betty.

By coincidence, Toowoomba, a picturesque mountain city nestling on the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, is close to a small town called Grantham.

Paula completed a Bachelor of Arts (Creative) with distinction at University of Southern Queensland  (USQ), graduating in 1996. She continued her music studies with a Graduate Diploma of Music in 1997 and a Master of Music in 2001.

Paula was employed at USQ as a lecturer in music and music education from 1996 until January 2008.

In 2003 she was the founding Director of the Junior Academy of Music at USQ.

Her approach to music in the early years is documented in her book, Music, Moving & Learning in Early Childhood: a manual of songs, lesson plans and basic theory for teachers, students and parents of young children aged 3-5 years published in 2006.

Her research into Music & the Body received a highly commended award from the Musicological Society of Australia.

As a Dalcroze specialist and experienced musician, Paula is a regular guest teacher at many workshops and conferences including the national AUSTA string conference, the National Institute of Education in Singapore and the Dalcroze International Summer Schools.

Paula is a regular consultant to several Early Childhood Centres.  She has been a lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary music and conducted many music workshops for teachers over the past decade in Australia and overseas.

She conducts music and movement classes for children and teaches piano from her studio in Toowoomba.

Paula was also president of the Toowoomba Eisteddfod, one of Australia’s largest music festivals running for over 28 days with multiple venues and disciplines, from 2008 – 2010.