03/08/2026
It’s almost impossible to explain what really happens at Music Tree Summer Retreat in a single reel.
Yes, we make music. We move. We improvise. We learn. But that is only the surface.
What truly happens is that teachers begin to meet themselves.
They meet their fears, the parts they’ve been hiding, the stories they’ve been telling themselves for years. But they also discover strengths they didn’t know they had, reconnect with their creativity, and begin to recognise the unique educator they can become.
Every year I watch teachers surprise themselves.
They sing when they thought they couldn’t. They improvise when they believed they needed a script. They take creative risks they never imagined they would. They stop comparing themselves to others and begin to recognise the value of their own voice, their own story, and their own way of teaching.
Before leaving this year, someone said, “See you next summer… actually, hopefully before then.”
Another asked, “Can you bring this to Sydney?” Someone else said, “Next year I’ll tell so many more teachers about this.”
Those words mean everything.
Because the truth is that you cannot understand this retreat by watching videos or scrolling through photos. You have to experience it.
You have to be willing to trust the process, to let yourself be challenged, to support others, and to discover what becomes possible when music, human connection, and cooperation come together.
During our concert on the terrace, I found myself saying something that came straight from my heart:
“I realised this is what I’m meant to do with my life: create these connections.”
Music Tree is still young, but it is growing faster than I ever imagined and I can’t wait to see how many more music teachers it will support to discover not only new ways of teaching, but a deeper sense of who they are - to live a happier and meaningful teaching life.
Thanks is not enough
.education
The fourth edition of the Music Tree Summer Retreat is already in the making… and it’s going to blow your mind ❤️
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Music teac