Music lessons for kids
SKILLS: PROJECT LED BY JOHANNESBURG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Initiative reached at least 20 000 pupils in past three years.
The ever-popular Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) is striving to promote interest in orchestral music among young people through programmes to educate, develop skills and create a greater awareness among children and the youth.
These education and development initiatives have fast been gaining momentum, with a dramatic increase in reach in 2019, only to be interrupted by Covid-19 restrictions in 2020.
Many members of the community have experienced the benefits of this programme and over the past three years the JPO visited 35 schools in various areas in and around Johannesburg, reaching at least 20 000 pupils.
To celebrate Youth Month,
Joburg City Theatres, in partnership with the City of Johannesburg’s department of arts, culture and heritage, will be collaborating with the JPO to nurture and prepare young music students to perform with the orchestra in various musical genres.
Workshops will run for three hours each and will take place during this week. There will be 17 students participating, mostly in the string instrument section.
The workshops will culminate with a concert at the Soweto Theatre on Saturday at 7pm.
“A core part of the objectives of the JPO is to contribute to education and development of our youth, and to strengthen community relationships through music,” says JPO’s chief executive and artistic director Bongani Tembe.
Soweto Theatre’s acting general manager Makhosazana Hlatshwayo added: “The collaboration with the JPO presents exciting and new opportunities for our youth and it is appropriate that this initiative is launched during
Youth Month.”
Another exciting educational platform being implemented by the JPO is the EduVideo Project, which arose as a result of Covid-19 when the orchestra was unable to go to schools and wanted to “give something back”.
The initiative has been endorsed by the Gauteng department of education.
Charles Sedimo, senior education specialist at the department said: “Our senior phase learners (Grades 7-9) and intermediate phase (Grades 3-6) are taught
music during creative arts and life skills classes, which aim to expose them to different career opportunities in the arts.
“The JPO music programme assists with practicality in music because learners can see some of the orchestral instruments for the first time and experience the sound they produce, as well as get to understand how instruments are grouped into families.
“Some educators have the passion for music but lack the knowledge of how to go about teaching it and this programme is of a great assistance to them.”
The EduVideo was filmed in the Kruger National Park and features 30 musicians from the JPO – with Jeremy Silver as conductor and Siphokazi Maphumulo as the narrator.
Another high-level initiative of the JPO is the Fellowship Programme which is targeted at exceptionally talented South African music students who are studying overseas.