work
The work of Mia Makaroff includes composing, teaching music to school children and young people, lecturing, conducting choirs, having workshops and masterclasses and conducting different music educational projects: special educational projects, song-writing projects and multicultural projects. She also has experience in musical producing. Please take contact if you are interested of a workshop, commission or a workshop!
COMPOSING
The vocal ensemble Rajaton has made a marvelous recordings that had lead to all kinds of commissions and workshops around the world. The famous Finnish female choir Philomela, the Norwegian Cantus, German Amarcord, The King's Singers in England and many others have commissioned, performed and recorded many of her songs.
MUSIC TEACHING
1992 - 2005 taught music in several schools, mainly in Länsimäki school, Vantaa (high school) where she developed a method to inspire and help young pupils in song-writing. This lead into a several four school musicals that were written and performed by the pupils themselves. She also developed a method based on therapeutical effects of music for special education music teaching. She grounded a music school for everyone interested to learn how to play and sing in a band. She is not teaching anymore at schools, but school music education stays close to her heart.
WORK WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH CHOIRS
In 1993 Mia started an after-school choir club for children in Vantaa area which developed into a children’s choir, “Vivace”. The idea of the choir was to find the joy in music making and to learn more about singing, regardless of whether you have the talent or not. Gradually the choir grew bigger and is now divided into four active sections: Vivace children choir, Vivace youth choir, Vivace Ladies and Vivace Chamber Choir.
In 2008 Mia grounded a new choir in Porvoo Music Institute under the name Ocarina Children Choir. The choir grew rapidly. Ocarina choral family has now training choirs, Girls' Choir, Boys' Choir and Youth Choir and co-operation with local school choirs.The Ocarina has travelled to Sweden, Russia and Czech Republic,Croatia, Romania, Austria and Greece and participated in two musical play premiers. Ocarina won three gold medals in Istramusica choir competition 2017.
MunKuoro/Minkör is a nationwide project in Finland to rebuild choral culture for children and young people in Finland.Mia has been planning and working for the project since the beginning. See more: munkuoro.fi and minkör.fi.
WORK WITH CHOIRS AND VOCAL GROUPS
Working with groups has been a big part of Mia Makaroff’s work. At the present she conducts a female choir Vivace Ladies and a mixed choir Hinthaaran kuoro and Vivace Chamber. Vivace Chamber has done well in international competitions.
LECTURING, JUDICATING AND MASTER CLASSES
2005-2006 lectured on special education and music pedagogy in Sibelius-Academy for the Swedish-speaking students. 2013 she was one of the keynote speakers of Festival 500, New Foundland. The themes that are close to her is teaching music and singing to children, rhythmics in choir music, special educational, multicultural and creative projects. She has also held masterclasses in children choral music writing in Aosta Italy and altogether 7 summers St. Petersburg Russia, combining the teaching and composing. She has also worked a lot as a juror in international choral competitions. She has held workshops in for example working with children choirs, song-writing and arranging
MUSICAL AND MUSIC THEATRE PROJECTS
In 2012 she composed and produced the bilangual musical "Kruunulapset - Kronobarnen” (Crown children). After that she has written music to fairy tail Fågel blå (The Blue Bird) by Zacharias Topelius and later to a children choir play Laulava poika (The Singing Boy).