By Colleen Jones
I HAVE had a rich career as a Statistician in CSIRO, a teacher, Deputy Principal and Acting Principal, but when I came to Maleny at the end of 2013, I was no longer known as Colleen Jones (Ahern) but as Kim Kirkman’s mum. People often ask me: “How did Kim become so musical?”, so I decided to let you all know.
I came from a musical family where myself and my siblings all played a musical instrument. I also learned ballet and speech so I was used to that type of a background. Kim’s dad, Hugh, is well known for his love of Country and Western music and hated me playing classical music, so when Kim was about 10 months old, I bought a bright orange cassette player and would play classical music for him as he went to sleep. I guess I brain washed him from an early age.
When Kim was aged three, I took him to musical appreciation classes in Sydney where the students would learn rhythms etc. I also took him to ballet lessons but discovered that Kim’s motor coordination was slow to kick in and he struggled.
The male teacher told me to take him away as he couldn’t skip.
That was the end of all dancing lessons which I regret as Kim now has excellent coordination. At five years old I started Kim on violin Suzuki method but by a strange twist of fate his first two teachers died.
However, I persisted and at age eight Kim and I moved to Cairns and he had a wonderful teacher, Elaine Fox, who taught him violin and piano.
Elaine and her husband Colin had been members of the South Australian Symphony Orchestra and both of these musicians have had a profound effect on Kim. The standard of music there was very high and they had their own string orchestras which Colin conducted. It was Elaine who encouraged Kim to take up the viola.
As an example of Kim’s slow motor coordination development, he received his first A for his Grade 7 exam.
I didn’t know that Kim had a voice when he was young.
I was used to people singing around the house but Kim’s dad didn’t like that so apart from singing children’s songs to Kim when he was little, I didn’t hear him sing. The first time that I heard Kim sing was when I was invited to his primary school for a concert and they had Kim (age seven) sing a solo.
When Kim was 11 all the boys had to sing in the local Eisteddfod.
I asked Kim to sing the song for me and saw that he was straining to reach the notes. I then found a singing teacher for Kim to help. She tested Kim and told me to transpose the song down a sixth!!
In those days there were no photocopiers so I had to do the two copies by hand. I also found a different teacher to teach Kim a song for the musical section.
She also told me to transpose it down a sixth.
This was the start of Kim’s musical career as he easily won his solo and came 3rd in the age 11 to 18 musical section which was remarkable.
From there Kim progressed in both Viola and voice and after much agonising finally decided to study music. That was the end of my direct involvement in Kim’s musical career, but I have attended most of his performances since then.
