Echo the Gecko Turns 21!

Alongside WASO’s Education Chamber Orchestra, Echo the Gecko has featured in family concerts and school incursions across Perth since 2003, captivating and enriching the lives of children by making orchestral music accessible and fun.

This year, we’re also pleased to be bringing the Echo magic to Koorliny Arts Centre in Kwinana for two free family concerts.

Ahead of the exciting season, we spoke with show creators Lee Stanley (creator and presenter), Mark Tooby (writer and WASO Tutti Double Bass) and Joshua Davies (composer/arranger and WASO Principal Trombone) about all things Echo.

Echo the Gecko made his first appearance with WASO in 2003 and has been a crowd favourite ever since! What is your first memory of an Echo the Gecko show?

Lee: Wow, has it really been that long? Echo and I haven’t aged a day! I remember the Echo shows in the old ABC studios on Adelaide Terrace in Perth, working with Iain Grandage and Genevieve Wilkins to bring the shows to life.

Mark: A definite highlight for me was the 2016 WASO Tour to China. I remember performing Echo the Gecko’s Great Outback Adventure for students from Beijing’s No.1 Experimental Primary School. Our cellist at the time, Xiaole Wu, translated the entire show into Chinese for the audience. It was incredibly moving.

Josh: I first met Echo the Gecko as a member of the orchestra around 2009. At that time, I hadn’t come on board as part of the Echo the Gecko team writing the music, but my strongest memory was of Lee Stanley the presenter; he has such a way with the kids, engaging them with his antics and energy. 

When creating a new show, what comes first – the story or the music? How do the two parts come together?

Lee: In the early days, I used to create the stories around the music that WASO’s Education Chamber Orchestra already had in their library. Since forming the ‘Three Geckos’ (myself, Josh and Mark) in 2015, we work together throughout the process, bouncing ideas off of each other, with Josh creating incredible original music that takes the story wherever we want it to go.

Mark: The music always emerges from the story. Once we know the story, we use the music to evoke the scenery and help kids to visualise the world that the characters are living in. Even when we’re reworking shows that we’ve done before, the music is always fresh. Our goal is to link authentic classical music to the show, while tapping into a kid-friendly version of what we do as an orchestra.

Josh, how does writing for a show like this differ to the other composition work you do?

Josh: When starting a show from scratch, there is no definite start or end point, nor any definite stops along the way. Sometimes the freedom to do whatever you want can be harder than having a set brief to follow but we enjoy the challenge of moulding the shows. Often there will be an A4 page with 50 ideas of pieces and we gradually whittle it down to what finally goes in the show.

Lee, how does the music influence your puppeteering? Does your own background as a percussionist have any influence on how you bring Echo to life?

Lee: The main thing for me is to make Echo react to the music, both physically and emotionally, and for him and I to interact with the musicians. This way the students see that music is fun, accessible and something that they can understand, enjoy and join in with.

You all have a strong passion for music education. Why is it so important that students have access to programs such as those performed by WASO’s Education Chamber Orchestra?

Lee: It is all about breaking down the barriers between the Orchestra (both the players and the music) and the kids. Once they see the passion and fun, and hear the huge variety of music that an orchestra can play, they are hooked and have access to a whole new world. Last year, a graduating horn player in one of the school bands that I conduct realized that I was the same person she had come to see in an Echo show, years earlier. She said, ‘Echo is the reason I have made music my life, thank you!’.

Mark: Kids are like big sponges; they soak up information and are open to anything. Every child should have a musical experience somehow. We hope that the shows we put on spark a lifelong passion for music.

Josh: Echo the Gecko shows are a valuable gateway for students to discover not only the classics but new music, alongside popular music. For the students to see how it all works together; story, music in a live setting and to be able to participate in the shows is a really magical mix.

For more information on how your students can get up close and personal with your State Orchestra, check out our Education Programs.