play music and write
Love watching the crime drama tv series “Harrow” with Brisbane city as its gorgeous backdrop. Bright blue sky, skyscrapers that sparkle, and that winding river. However this scene is indoors. Dr. Daniel Harrow (Ioan Gruffudd) is talking with a man who is about to identify his dead wife’s body. I play the police officer who’s … Continue reading Police Officer in “Harrow” S2 E1
Bryce is sleepy this morning! His lesson begins before regular classes start. But we both appreciate the new music studios at McAuley College in Beaudesert. Aircon and heating! Sorted all year 👍
Monsters Of Melodica are – as you would expect – a band of melodica players. They’re based in Los Angeles, California. They invite melodica players from around the world to jam with them. This is World Session IV, Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man. Their special guest Melodica player is Latin Jazz/Salsa Artist Kiki Sanchez. I made … Continue reading Monsters of Melodica World Session IV – Watermelon Man
I was in London when I first heard Alison Krauss sing this song and play violin with fab musicians on YouTube. It’s one of the few country songs I’ve ever really listened to. Going to play a piano version at the resort. https://joannafunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Alison-Krauss-Now-That-Ive-Found-You-piano-cover.mp3 I use chords from Ultimate Guitar. Choose a version with lots of … Continue reading Alison Krauss ‘Now That I’ve Found You’ piano cover
A few years ago I wrote a simplified version of Für Elise for a very young student. I used the scorewriter MuseScore which is free and open-source, and uploaded my version to its online score sharing platform. Today they sent me a reminder to look at it, and I saw it had 5,759 views and … Continue reading My simple MuseScore Für Elise has 5,759 hits, 44 ♥️
Am probably the last person to discover bujo art, but now that I have, I wanted to try. Picked up some IKEA watercolour pencils and this is my first painting entry in my journal. Luckily the paper is thick and absorbed the water well enough. Love this kid in Code Lyoko, she’s got the haircut … Continue reading Bujo – Code Lyoko
Thank you Emmanuel “Nuk” Chee for sending me this photo. A new library has just opened up in the Tanjung Aru area of Kota Kinabalu. Nuk saw the SabahSongs book on a trolley. Let’s hope they place it where everyone can find it! Yay! Thanks again Nuk ♥️🤗
When I first visited Datuk Peter Pragas, he welcomed me with a gentleness which made me feel quietly delighted and humbled. We shared a plate of biscuits and soft drinks at his daughter Jeanette’s home, off Jalan Bundusan. The living room was heaving with evidence of the Datuk’s musical achievement in Sabah: newspaper articles, publications, … Continue reading Datuk Peter Pragas
I heard that my student Tom broke his wrist last week and wouldn’t be able to do lessons for the rest of the term. So imagine my surprise when he rocked up to his lesson saying, “I broke my wrist but my other arm is still alright. Can I still have my lesson?” I’m soooo … Continue reading “My other arm’s alright, can I still do my lesson?”
Gone! The flower beds are bare. The shrubs were young and not tough natives. There hasn’t been rain for months, and I just cannot keep watering everything. So I moved the roses – one under a tree, and the others into pots. The one under the tree may have had it. It’s in total shock! … Continue reading Bye bye plants
My neighbour Niven feeds our local birds. Now this kookaburra visits me when I put out the laundry. “Kookaburras kill snakes,” Niven said as he placed small chucks of minced meat on the wall. Kookaburras, magpies, and some others (maybe butcherbirds and plovers?) swoop down. So the idea is that if they’re around, maybe the … Continue reading Snake killer
After a decade of challenges in the Malaysian music industry, graphic designer Tian Long had given up on making a living through music. Then he made a funny animated video about being a Hakka Chinese guy pleading with his girlfriend not to go to England. His YouTube inbox was flooded with messages from thousands of … Continue reading Tian Long – the Hakka Singer
Mike came back from golf. He called from the door. “Hey, I need your gardening gloves!” Really? Why? “Bunya Bunya, come!” In the car were these massive cones, which had fallen off a Bunya tree. Blimey, wouldn’t want one of them falling on my head. No wonder he wanted my gloves to carry them. Mike … Continue reading Bunya nuts, bush tucker
It’s so hot. I’m ready to give up on the roses, and other plants out in the open. The broms and herbs are okay, they’re all under dappled shade. This Kookaburra was on the gate as the sun was setting. I think my neighbour Niven feeds them. This Aussie sun is merciless. I mean, they … Continue reading Kookaburra, dry days
In August 2008 Dr. Sophie Van Aerde arrived in Sabah from France, to marry her husband-to-be. Two weeks later, I arrived in Sabah from England, to marry my husband-to-be. Serendipity brought us together, and we not only began to play music – because Sophie’s a violinist and I’m a pianist – we became the best … Continue reading Sophie Van Aerde
A strip of iridescent blue, grey and yellow caught my eye in the rose bush. A tree snake with a lovely yellow head was just hanging out in the sun. I would have liked to get closer to take a better picture but I don’t know anything about snakes, so I kept my distance and … Continue reading Tree snake in the rose
A group of waist-high kids being adopted by a music mentor, to be tutored at his home? Seems unthinkable doesn’t it? Moses De Silva, a double bass player in Kota Kinabalu, was my translator in this interview. Warning: a bit of politically incorrect joshing between school friends here. In early 2010, Moses De Silva said … Continue reading The Story of Kidz
There was a time when I worked in London and my son was young, when seconds seemed like jewels. I would park at my local ASDA and mow a trolley down the aisles, grabbing groceries for the week: fresh for now, frozen for later. And I really mean grab, and sling, no pausing to compare … Continue reading Slow gardening
Sasha did her AMEB Piano For Leisure Preliminary Grade exam in November. She was so well prepared I knew she would enjoy herself. Her mum Steph said the air-conditioning was quite strong at the Ashgrove examination centre, near Brisbane. Both Sasha and Steph were feeling cold and Sasha ended up doing star jumps while she … Continue reading Congrats Sasha for your A (Honours)!
Congratulations to my student 🎶Daisy🎶 for passing her AMEB Grade 1 Piano For Leisure with an A (Honours). Time to enjoy a well deserved break and I’ll see you again in the New Year ❤️!
The photographs in the book were better, supplied by the Sabah Tourism Board. But Kudat manages to shine, even with what I have here. [Excerpt from: Funk, Joanna. SabahSongs: Contemporary Music in Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2013. 44-50. Print.] Kudat. This is the place where my great-grandparents first arrived in Sabah. It was the … Continue reading Sunset Symphony – music in a Kudat paradise
I ordered a Suzuki melodica trumpet mouthpiece and it arrived yesterday. I didn’t like the original mouthpiece because I have to put it inside my mouth and sometimes it hits my teeth. I actually like to play with no mouthpiece, but am not sure if it’s an efficient use of breath. This mouthpiece feels great! … Continue reading Baby’s got a new mouthpiece
I love the early morning light. My roses had to fend for themselves last year and they didn’t do well. This year I’ve paid them more attention, feeding the soil and watering with Seasol. The kangaroos did make a meal of them during the drought 😕 but they are making a comeback!
Thanks to photographer Henry Liew for his contributions to my book. These are a few from the Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival 2010. Here is a bit about that night. Malaysia’s stars fill the sky over Sutera Harbour – 4th KKJF Day One Everyone with Sabahan blood running through their veins will have stood the tallest, … Continue reading KKJF 2010
It’s so dry now, the roos come very close, looking for things to eat. They’ve started to eat my roses. A lady who runs a nursery in Beaudesert said they’re eating everything at the moment, not just roses. I don’t mind. They can eat anything in my garden if it helps them to keep going. … Continue reading Mummy and Joey (video)
After playing piano at the Kooralbyn golf resort, I was leaving and Nea on reception said: “There’s a beautiful carpet snake just outside.” I wasn’t thrilled to hear that. It was dark, I had to get to my car and didn’t want to step on anything… “I’ll show you,” she said. There it was, on … Continue reading Sleeping carpet snake
My friend Yap Keng Vui translated all the conversations with Teo Seng Chong, and I have so much to thank him for. Teo Seng Chong arrived in Sabah in 1986 at the invitation of Tshung Tsin Secondary School (TTSS), to bring Chinese orchestral music into Sabah. He is now Head of Music at TTSS, and … Continue reading The man who brought Chinese orchestra to Sabah
Nice greeting on a chilly morning
When Darrell Jones posted to the Kooralbyn Facebook community groups to ask whether anyone was interested in deliveries of fresh seafood, the response was a big “Yes!” So Darrell and Jarrelle Jones (yep, their names almost rhyme) drove all the way from Upper Coomera to Kooralbyn a few Sundays ago with their fresh seafood, and … Continue reading DJ’s Sensational Seafood comes to Kooralbyn
My husband Mike is walking around the Kooralbyn Valley golf course following the Pro-Am tournament today. He was sitting on some rocks and a big roo bounced over and started eating the grass right in front of him. He said it was only about seven feet away! Mike took pix with his phone. He said … Continue reading Roo at the Pro-Am today
