Toowoomba music icon Celia Egerton honoured with Order of Australia Medal
Her story will make your heart sing; meet the Toowoomba music teacher honoured with an Order of Australia Medal.
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The Governor-General has recognised more than 700 Australians for their undying dedication and passion for local, state and national endeavours.
Beloved Toowoomba violinist and Toowoomba Strings music teacher Celia Egerton was bestowed with one of the country’s highest honours this Sunday when she received a Medal of the Order of Australia for outstanding service to the community.
Mrs Egerton almost didn’t believe she had received the prestigious honour, requiring convincing directly from the Governor-General’s office.
“I just thought ‘that’s a really cruel thing to do to scam someone … to fake a letter from the Governor-General and say you’d won something just to steal your identity,” she said.
“I was very humbled because it’s been my absolute privilege to work with young people in the field of music, to be able to help them develop themselves through the medium of music.”
Mrs Egerton’s first foray into music was at six years old when she began learning piano alongside her mother.
A few years later she picked up the violin and never looked back.
“Violin is an extension of the body, like singing is; it’s a social situation for me – you can play in quartets or orchestras,” she explained.
Taking a unique approach to music comprehension, Mrs Egerton is one of a handful of musicians in Australia who teach using the renowned Colourstrings program, a holistic and passion-driven approach to music competence.
“When I learnt music I was learning by correction … every step you’re learning is through being wrong first which is a little bit crushing; our program is all the other way round,” she said.
“From the very beginning they’re starting with the child’s imagination and singing.
“What I’ve always felt is that my job is actually not to teach music, it’s to build the self-esteem of kids through music.
“Music tells a story of danger, romance and loss – there’s so many aspects to it and my job is to invite the child into that whole world.”
Mrs Egerton is an awe-inspiring violinist in her own right, travelling across the globe to play with the world’s best; always hand-in-hand with her husband and fellow violin virtuoso, Rod.
“We took the orchestra to the North Pole, we played in a festival in Northern Finland, we played with the Russian orchestra, we did all these amazing things,” she said.
“He’s been by my side the whole time … any creative or musical idea I’ve had has been brought into reality by my husband.
“When I get this medal, I’ll need to find a very, very sharp power tool to cut it in half!”
For Mrs Egerton, teaching is not something to be taken lightly, having been a part of some of her students’ lives from when they were four years old right through to 18.
“You’re growing with them, they make me laugh all the time,” she said.
“It’s what I love. The reason why I now mostly teach is it uses all of me – I have to have the technical knowledge, I have to be able to read the students and be sensitive to where they are in their own life.”
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Originally published as Toowoomba music icon Celia Egerton honoured with Order of Australia Medal
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