Staff Spotlight: Dovi Hanner

Violinist and violist Dovi Hanner graduated from Wesley College in 2009, returning later to teach students at our Elsternwick Campus. A versatile performer, Dovi is also a member of the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra.

Dovi's musical journey at Wesley traces its roots back to 1997, when he joined the Suzuki violin program, which is still offered at Wesley’s Elsternwick Campus today. It is an approach inspired by the idea that children would learn how to play music with the same ease in which they learned to speak their native language.

At Wesley, Dovi’s interest and appreciation for the violin grew exponentially. With private lessons, group lessons, graded ensembles, performance opportunities and lessons on Music Theory, History and Composition at Wesley, Dovi had many opportunities at Wesley and showed a great deal of dedication.

Now on the other side, as an inventive and evolving teacher, Dovi still loves the direct support Wesley provides its students. ‘Wesley teachers always welcome questions or ideas, and I have seen my colleagues go the extra mile to source and arrange music, repair instruments and provide any extra assistance or fuel for their students’ passions,’ he says.

‘I love having the opportunity and the challenge of teaching students the intricacies of baroque styles and performance practice. Also, being a part of the many wonderful and varied performance opportunities that Wesley provides’, says Dovi.

In 2019, he attended the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Winter School and learned from world class musicians, including members of the Australian String Quartet. Dovi looks forward to sharing those lessons with his students and improving their chamber music skills. He envisions small groups learning to cooperate and make music as a team. ‘As a teacher, I really believe in creating a space for the students to feel that they have a place to learn, explore and somewhere they can belong. The department and my colleagues at Wesley really excel at creating this space and I am honoured to be a part of the team,’ says Dovi.

Dovi’s teaching technique involves building up key musical and instrumental skills through a graded course of repertoire, gradually increasing their library of rhythms, bowings and other techniques. He encourages his students to solve problems by addressing them first and breaking them down into smaller steps, which is useful advice for any problem-solving challenge. ‘I guide my students through a range of practice methods that they can learn through one piece and apply to many future pieces. This means they are not only learning the repertoire that I teach them, but also skills to teach themselves new repertoire as they develop,’ says Dovi.

His fundamental teaching concepts also include being present and enthusiastic with each student and treating them all with respect. ‘No matter what the age, level and ability, we are all just people at the end of the day,’ says Dovi.