Neta Anne Maughan is an Australian piano teacher. She has made an outstanding contribution to music education in Australia. Her teaching career has spanned 63 years and in that time she has nurtured thousands of students in her main discipline of the piano, vocal, theory and accompaniment training. Her students are internationally recognised and hold professional positions throughout Europe, USA and Asia. As well as prizes in international competitions, her students have won every major competition held in Australia, and have performed in over 40 countries worldwide. Her teaching record is arguably one of the best ever achieved in this country, with 31 AMEB Shields won in her name. A record. Some of her most successful pupils are Michael Kieran Harvey, Bernadette Harvey, Neal Peres da Costa, Simon Tedeschi, Anthony Fogg, Damian Whitelley, Emily Jeffrey, Stephen Delaney, Kathryn Lambert, her own daughter Tamara Anna Cislowska, and the late Aaron McMillan, Marilyn Meier and Dennis Rees.
Early life
Maughan was born in Hendra, Brisbane, and grew up in Sydney's western suburbs, after her parents moved from Kyogle. She comes from a long line of pianists and piano teachers - five generations of her family have been either performers or educators or both. Maughan started teaching music when she was 17 years old. She enrolled in a diploma of music at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, however was forced to withdraw in her final year due to deaths in immediate family. She later continued her studies and studied voice under Elizabeth Todd and piano under Alexander Sverjensky.
Career
Maughan taught piano, voice and music theory at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for 35 years. She was appointed on salary at Newcastle Conservatorium in 1968, where she taught piano and lectured to the diploma class. She also received the Australian Music Examinations Board award for excellence in teaching on at least 27 occasions. She also taught private students at her home, and was an Examiner for the AMEB for 45 years. In 2010, Maughan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. Her citation read "For service to music education as a teacher of piano, voice and music theory, to professional organisations, and as a mentor of young performers".
