Joanna Shrigley
Tena koutou katoa. Ko Ingarangi te whakapaparanga mai (my ancestry is from England), engari (however), ko Otautahi te whenua tupu (Christchurch is where I was raised). Kei Whanganui Aatara au e noho ana (Wellington is where I live now). Ko Jo Shrigley au. Music has bought me so much personal joy and has been therapeutic during some really challenging times that I want to now share this love with others.
What I do:
I lead a weekly community singing group at the Aro Community Centre. The classes are for everyone who enjoys music and singing. The aim of Community Singing is to promote enjoyment, good feeling and wellbeing through group singing. The music ranges from popular to folk songs from around the world. Community Singing - ARO VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE
I am in a musical duo Pick & Mixolydian which performs both originals and covers hailing from New Zealand England, Scotland, Wales and beyond. Facebook (see picture attached)
I have a growing number of originals. You can find them here: Listen to Jo's compositions playlist online for free on SoundCloud
I also do private music lessons with people with special needs.
My Story:
I learned piano from age 7 until my early 20s when I stopped music altogether and got swept up in my IT career and travel. 15 years later my first steps back into music were joining WOSOSI choir (World Song Singers) in 2018, and since then I've steadily increased my music involvement and passion. In the COVID19 lockdown of 2020 I picked up ukulele, and after that started going along to many of the ukulele groups around Wellington. In 2022 I formed a musical duo called Pick & Mixolydian with my long time friend Bruce Omundsen. One of our favourite recurring annual performances is at the Good Companions Community Lunch, a social group for seniors, which meets monthly at St Teresa's Church Hall, for lunch and a concert. In 2023 I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to take over teaching the Aro Valley Community Singing group, which has taught me so much about the power of singing, and the different ways that people can connect with music beyond the voice. I feel that having a big gap in my music journey enables me to truly understand its importance in our lives, and has fed my desire for sharing the beauty of music with others. I am about to start the second year of a Masters in Music Therapy at Victoria University. In my spare time I learn West African dances with Moringa Dancers, I'm a member of the Wellington Urban Sketchers, and I'm a mum to an 8 year old.
Pick & Mixolydian