TUTOR SPOTLIGHT: LYDIA SEWELL

Violinist, singer and actor, Lydia Sewell joined the Lewis Eady Music School teaching team in April this year. Born and raised and trained in the USA, Lydia boasts an impressive résumé of international performance experience, most recently as part of a piano quintet on Holland America Line's Lincoln Centre Stage.

LEMS: Let's start from the beginning!

LYDIA: I grew up in a musical family and have been playing violin and piano since I was six years old. I picked up the violin because my mother was a violinist. My father is a conductor and I've had the privilege of playing in his orchestras a few times, which has been beautiful.

LEMS: What brought you here to New Zealand?

LYDIA: I toured New Zealand and Australia back in 2019. I liked New Zealand so much that I decided to audition for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra while the boat was docking there back in April. And here I am, one year later! Also, my parents are Kiwis who met in the National Youth Orchestra when they were teenagers. They tied the knot and played in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for a few years before moving to America.

LEMS: You would you describe your teaching?

LYDIA: Over the years, my teaching has become more centred around psychology and habit formation, rather than focusing on getting a passage right time and time again. I think the most important element one needs to master in studying music is the mind. Having performed in over 500 chamber music concerts on cruises, I realised that approaching everything through the lens of mindfulness the key to understanding your tendencies as a musician. The more mindful you can be of what you are doing and feeling and what motivates you, the less effort you exert to get the same result. Less is more, as long as it's mindful.

LEMS: You're also a singer and actor – tell us more about that.

LYDIA: During my undergrad at Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles, I sang in a competitive chamber choir, which ended up touring internationally in Europe. It was an exhilarating experience singing and meeting with other choirs from all over the world.  Learning about the voice has definitely enhanced my teaching as a violinist and piano teacher. I get my students to sing a lot!

I've been acting since I was 14 and went to all sorts of Disney and Nickelodeon auditions when I was living in Los Angeles. The discipline and focus I learned in studying the violin, as well as analysis, has helped me enormously as an actor. Conversely, the imagination, curiosity and compassion required of an actor to understand and develop a character have helped my musicality enormously. I always think and hear music in characters, especially Mozart! I try to integrate this into my teaching as well.  In my opinion, the two art forms beautifully complement one another, and I recommend everyone to take an intro acting class at some point in their life.

LEMS: How are you finding life in New Zealand?

LYDIA: New Zealand is quite different compared to the US. I love how chilled back everyone is here, and it's nice to be able to go for walks and see the ocean. I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach again. I missed teaching when I was performing, so it's good to give back now that I'm on land.

LEMS: Finish this sentence, “Music is…

“… a necessity in education and a great training ground to learn about others and yourself.”

Lewis Eady Music School delivers instrumental music lessons to over 1,300 students across Auckland and Wellington. Online Skype lessons are also available.