MANAGEMENT TEAM

Orchestra Manager: Margaret Coote

Marg, a primary school teacher for 34 years, completed her teaching career by being principal of Homebush West Public School for ten years. She retired in 2009 but four years later, she was offered a chance to be involved with the wider Strathfield area youth orchestra. She loves music and loves the community of musicians she worked with while she was at Homebush West PS. It was these musicians who were going to conduct and tutor the SJ orchestra, so she jumped at the chance.  It was an opportunity for Marg, as a volunteer manager, to give something back to this wonderful community and to assist children and young adults experience being a part of an orchestra.  She has not been disappointed, as the orchestra continues to flourish and to cater for young music students at all levels of performance.

Program Coordinator: Flora Benson

Flora is a K-12 classroom music teacher, education consultant and violinist. She was lucky to grow up playing violin in fantastic school orchestras and her love for orchestral playing continues to this day. Flora received a BMus(MusEd) Honours I from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2012 and has trained extensively in the Orff approach to music pedagogy. She has taught music and creative arts in a range of primary and secondary schools in Australia and the UK. While in the UK, she worked as a writer for the Royal Opera House in London, a Programme Lead for the charity Mindful Music and as a teacher in a number of schools. She works currently as a classroom music teacher, an education consultant with Musica Viva Australia and as Program Coordinator with Symphonia Jubilate. She is passionate about public education and loves working behind the scenes to coordinate high-quality music programs which are accessible to all children.