BFA Jazz Performance, Diploma in Education, GCER, current doctoral student

Mentone Grammar’s Head of Woodwinds, Natalie Morgenstern, is a dyed-in-the-wool jazzophile. However, her connection with the genre isn’t just a musical preference, it’s a way of life. Currently completing her PhD to investigate gender diversity in Australian jazz and improvisation from a beginner musicians’ perspective, Natalie believes everyone is musical – and she is determined to ensure every student gets their chance to realise it.

As a child, Mentone Grammar’s Head of Woodwinds, Natalie Morgenstern, recalls avoiding her parents’ suggestion that wearing prescription glasses would be a good idea. “For sure I needed them – I couldn’t see!” she laughs. “But I also very much enjoyed walking to school in Old Montreal every day, down the same street, and seeing it differently each time.” In a sense, Natalie had already fallen in love with the art of improvisation. However, it wasn’t until she was immersed in music that her proclivity for creative freedom found a purpose – and that was jazz.

Natalie grew up in Quebec, a French-speaking province of Canada. Although her family spoke English at home, her education was delivered entirely in French. Her mother’s family had deep roots in the area, while her father’s family were new arrivals, lucky to have escaped Nazi Germany. Natalie has fond childhood memories of watching her father, a child psychiatrist, and his colleagues unwind after work by playing in a string quartet together. “I lay under the grand piano in the living room and experienced the music as seismic vibrations. I thought, ‘I want to have that much fun too!’ and that’s probably what sparked my interest in communal music making. Honestly, they were weren’t very good. But it gave them so much joy.”

Natalie has a strong-held belief that ‘everyone is musical’. “You don’t need to be a fantastic musician to find joy in playing music. If you enjoy yourself, you will get better naturally.” And Natalie is speaking from experience. “The first instrument I played was violin and I was bad… really bad. But I loved the idea of playing music. I just needed to find the right instrument for me.” When young Natalie suggested a move from violin to trombone, her mother promptly blocked it. “She told me my lips would be permanently puckered by the trombone. Despite not knowing the first thing about playing a brass instrument, mum could be very persuasive.”

Fortunately, before long, Natalie discovered her true calling on the credits of a movie. “I heard this incredible sound, and I didn’t know what it was, but I was hooked.” That’s the moment Natalie met the saxophone and her journey to jazz began. “Jazz is about responding in the moment. There is an incredible thrill that comes from the beautiful chaos of improvisation; sometimes hitting the mark and sometimes bombing miserably. It’s very creative and it’s also about resilience, collaboration and intuition.”

Natalie studied classical saxophone at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal while simultaneously completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts specialising in Jazz Performance at Concordia University. She has also undertook graduate studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her current doctoral project explores how children experience gender in the primary school setting in relation to instrumental classroom music and improvisation – and she is exceptionally passionate in her pursuit.

Natalie joined Mentone Grammar over 20 years ago and is grateful to work in a setting that enables her to try innovative new ways of teaching music. As such, Mentone Grammar has become the only secondary school in Australia with a Free Jazz Ensemble. “The group meets every Friday afternoon for an entirely improvised jam session. We have had musicians spanning from vocalists, bassoonists, didgeridoo and accordion players, to even a whistler.” In recent times, Natalie’s middle son and Mentone Grammar’s brass teacher, Niran Dasika, has taken over the group – “but I still attend. It’s like meditation – my wind-down time. The week is incomplete without it!”

Natalie’s love of music is infectious, impassioned and inherently optimistic. Unsurprisingly, music is a family affair in her house. Natalie’s eldest son plays double bass for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Niran, the middle son is an active and respected member of the Melbourne jazz community (see all streaming platforms for recordings), and her youngest son has also worked for Mentone Grammar as a sessional orchestral percussion music teacher. Her husband, though not an instrumentalist, is probably the world’s most avid Bob Dylan fan.

Natalie’s advice to students is simple – take up an instrument. “Music can change your life. There is infinite research linking the benefits of playing an instrument to better overall academic achievement, improved social skills and a better sense of organisation. And those are only the peripheral benefits! The joy and satisfaction in playing the instrument in and of itself is reason enough to continue playing for the rest of your life!”

Written by Deborah Callahan