Joanne Roelofs – Musical Director
Born and bred in Lower Hutt, Joanne has been singing as long as she can remember through school and church. She began learning piano at an early age and followed this through to completion of Grade 8. At High School, Joanne began learning the Trombone, sang in the mass and auditioned choirs, played in the jazz band and orchestra and accompanied many chamber groups on the piano. Composition became a new passion during this time with a piece receiving highly commended in the Westpac Schools Chamber Music competition.
Joanne left high school with the 7th form prize for Music and the Schools prize for Outstanding Cultural Contribution. She gained a Bachelor of Music from Victoria University majoring in Composition, while studying performance trombone under the then Principal Trombonist of the NZSO, Marc Taddei.
Over the next few years a love for early childhood music was discovered and after wonderful tutelage with Helen Willberg, Joanne gained her Diploma in Early Childhood Music Teaching from the Institute of Registered Music Teachers.
Joanne has sung with the St James Church Choir in Lower Hutt, assisted with their children’s choir, sung under London Composer Paul Ayre and attended a workshop with English composer John Rutter.
At the beginning of 2010 she was offered the opportunity to conduct the Hutt Valley Singers and hasn’t looked back. She loves every moment rehearsing and performing with the choir and decided to bring together her love of working with children and singing, the result being The Major Minors Children’s Choir!
Her love of teaching grew over the following years until the creation of her own full time business in 2018. Joanne now teaches private and group lessons for both singing and piano, as well as pre-school music and choirs