Music in an age of distraction

Pianist and chamber music coach Tim Li grew up before the age of YouTube. Before Ray Chen invited you to #playwithRay or Two Set Violin told you to Go Practice. His moment came when, at the age of 10, he heard a teenager, not much older than himself, playing the piano in a competition. 

‘At the time I had no idea you could play the piano like that, and I was very inspired. Since that day something must have just clicked and I started practicing.’

The practising paid off: he went on to win a music scholarship to the University of Waikato. There he met mentors Catherine Austen and James Tennan, both passionate chamber musicians, who introduced him to coaching small ensembles through their chamber music academy for high school musicians.  

When Tim moved to Brisbane and took up a position at Canterbury College, establishing his own chamber music program was a priority. 

‘One can learn so much from music, especially in this age of instant gratification. Music teaches about having to work towards something, have the patience and the perseverance and the grit.’

Tim admits that, as an educator, he is aware of his students’ constant battles with distractions. 

‘We live in the best and worst of times right now to be a musician. It is a great time, because you have access to great inspirations; there are lots of professional musicians making content online.

‘But nowadays a lot of kids use iPads to practice from, but then a notification pops up, and you feel compelled to click on it, and once you click it might be thirty minutes before you get back on track again.’  

The experience of playing in a small ensemble with friends, rather than getting lost in an orchestra, or distracted from solo practice, is a gamechanger, Tim says.

‘You see lot of growth in kids playing chamber music because they take on the responsibility of their own group. They organize their own rehearsals. They discuss and negotiate interpretations and what they should be working on in a particular rehearsal, how they should approach playing a particular passage. Through this experience they learn to become independent thinkers and develop a sense of reasoning behind the music they play.’ 

When Strike A Chord launched in 2020, Tim Li immediately built it into his chamber music program as a goal for his students to work towards. Many of his ensembles have featured in the National Final, including Take Six and the Timli Trio in 2024, the Amogus Trio in 2021 and, in 2025, first prize winners The Incredibows. But it’s not just about winning.

‘Beyond the national finals itself, there is the Monash Strike A Chord workshop and the coaching program. Also, as good as cash prizes are, I feel the most valuable prizes are the mentorships. My students have had the opportunity to work with the Sutherland Trio and the Firebird Trio. And this year in about a month’s time, The IncrediBows are going to Cairns for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. 

‘These opportunities came because of how Strike A Chord is structured. It's not just a competition where you come, you win or you lose and you go home. It opens up a whole world of opportunities for students who participate.’  

But what about the much-quoted view of competitions, ‘Competitions are for horses, not artists’, attributed to Bela Bartok? The key, says Tim, is Strike A Chord’s focus on chamber music, rather than solo performance. That, and making sure that the competitors are enjoying themselves on stage. 

‘The classical world can be fiercely competitive. There can be sometimes hostility between people. Chamber music is a such a great way to bring people together and share that joy of making music together. They meet new people and they make friends. 

‘What Strike A Chord has done, I think, is much larger than the competition or the program itself. In the past three or four years I've seen a huge uptake in students wanting to get involved in chamber music. They are forming their own groups, they're starting their own Instagram pages for their own trios and quartets, which is very, very cute.’

Watch out Ray Chen and Two Set Violin. With Tim Li’s help the next generation are on their way! 

This year's Strike A Chord finalists perform at Melbourne Recital Centre on 29 August. Join us for an unforgettable afternoon celebrating Australia's next generation of chamber musicians.