Hamilton family. Photo supplied.‘Flautist flouts her talents’ was the sub-headline of an Ashburton Guardian article written about Nicola West when she was selected as a flute player for the New Zealand Youth Orchestra in 1999. I found the article (or at least part of it) while going through some archived College material and although that headline was a bit banal, it reminded me how very talented a musical pupil Nicola had been throughout her College years and beyond.

I recently tracked Nicola to Waipukurau where she is living, working and raising a family with her husband Angus on a 4 acre rural lifestyle block.

After leaving College at the end of 1997, Nicola began studying at Victoria University and graduated after four years with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Performance Flute, and a BA honours in Musicology. Her original plan was to become a professional orchestral musician but she soon realised that she wasn’t interested in the very intense, competitive environment that would come with that choice of lifestyle. She therefore decided to go Teachers College and train to become a Secondary School Music teacher.

Nicola graduated from Teachers College and went straight into the role of Head of Music at Central Hawkes Bay College in Waipukurau at the tender age of 23. She stayed there for 14 years, taking time out in 2007 when daughter Erica was born and then again in 2009 when son Cameron arrived. Nicola’s interest in Special Education grew when Cameron was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and she moved into this field of education in 2017. Since then, Nicola taught at Kowhai Special School in Hastings and a special needs unit at Havelock North College. During this time music has been integral to her teaching. She had several non-verbal students in her class and music was the most effective way they could communicate their emotions. She found this work extremely rewarding and music is also an important tool in regulating Cameron’s behaviour. Nicola is currently employed as a Learning Support Coordinator servicing a number of schools in Central Hawkes Bay.

She was recently recognised for the hefty contributions she has made to her local musical community by being made a life member of the Waipawa Music and Dramatic Society. She counts this as “a real honour”. She has taken choirs, chamber music groups, concert bands etc and is generally found in the orchestra’s pit, though she did debut on stage in the role of Maria in the ‘Sound of Music’ in 2017, a role which she called “an amazing experience”. She also continues to play the flute or the piano for community concerts.

When asked how she thinks her College years helped shape the person she has become, she expressed her true appreciation for the many diverse experiences during her five years there. Nicola considers those years as “possibly the most productive and successful years” of her life so far. She was “able to develop her passion for music” and when she talks about her childhood with her kids to make them understand the meaning of hard work, she is surprised that “rather than considering me an old fossil, my daughter is actually inspired by my stories!”

Nicola was herself inspired by her music teacher of four years, Robert Aburn. She was a member of the Phoenix Chorus for four years under Robert’s direction and he accompanied Nicola for her flute exams and recitals and in her final year at College, was also her piano teacher. Two Phoenix Choir tours to Australia were regarded by Nicola as major musical highlights. Ken Pow was also an important influence as he sparked Nicola’s interest in the German language and towards the end of 1997 she travelled to Germany along with Mr Pow and others from the College in a German exchange programme. She continued to take German through to University level.

Nicola, though very busy with family and work, enjoys runs with the family’s dog Lexi, their Golden Retriever, supporting her kids in their endeavours and going on family bike rides. 

Music certainly does transcend all and Nicola has experienced that major therapeutic role in her life, not only for herself but for her family and the wider community.

Bt Shirley Falloon © AshColl Alumni - June 2020