Getting a head start in music
Tauhara Primary School’s got talent! And with a donation of eight guitars thanks to the fundraising efforts of Taupo¯ music store owner David Love, who used his Love Music Community Facebook page, they will soon learn how to apply it.
David’s motivation for the gift of guitars followed a kapa haka assembly at the school when he listened to the children sing for a full 20 minutes as people began to arrive. David had repaired the guitar donated at the assembly by the school’s former kapa haka teacher Raina Hepi.
When school principal Tracy Fraser told him that there was no one at the school who could play guitar and no one who was learning, given the expense of lessons, David decided to do something about it.
He called a few friends to check their thoughts on providing free lessons and realised that more guitars would be needed.
“In a town like Taupo¯ where you’ve got such affluence and such a strong community, it’s almost like people don’t realise.
“They assume everyone has access to the same resources. These children have a musical heart and they love music. Starting to learn an instrument as eight or nine year olds will be a breakthrough in developing their talent,” said David.
David and fellow musician Paul Foulds will commit an hour of their time each week throughout 2018 as a pilot to see how it goes. They hope that between eight to 16 children from years 5 and 6 will choose to learn guitar.
“Music helps with learning and is a skill that works both sides of the brain.
“These children will now have a head start before they reach intermediate and that will stay with them for the rest of their life,” said David.
David teaches guitar at Taupo¯ School of Music and piano at Taupo¯-nui-a-Tia College and has also started a rock band programme at Tauhara College.
He and his wife Emily moved to Taupo¯ wanting to be part of a community and opened Love Music in 2015. Living and teaching music here had “beaten expectations” he said.