The Elspeth Jack Music Academy

The HeadStart Trust Music Activities Report for 2022

Introduction

It is with sincere appreciation that we start this report by thanking and acknowledging Grapes for Humanity for supporting rural community upliftment through music development at the southern tip of Africa. Your generous donation has made the following report possible. And we thank you for being a part of the life-improving changes happening amongst these communities.

South Africa is often challenged by so many contrasting obstacles: natural beauty versus violent crime; and enthusiastic organisations working towards improved lives competing with illegal drug trafficking and poaching aimed at primary school children. These are just some of the difficulties we are confronted with.

This year I experienced two of them that are relevant to this report. During April my laptop was stolen out of my car. Replacing the hardware was achievable. The frustration has been following up all the information and connections that has been stored on the computer.

The second has been a national concern and relates to the continued energy supply to the country. This year South Africa has experienced ever-worsening power-outages with daily fluctuating schedules and times of so-called load-shedding. This burden makes time-management tricky, especially in jobs that require electricity in generating income.

With this context, I apologise for the delay in this report. It has been hugely challenging to lose content when the electricity provider changes power supply schedules at short notice, and then to catch-up with all the emergencies when the power comes on again.

Nevertheless, we venture forth, and build resilience! And with that I look forward to sharing exciting music news with you.

Music teacher

Our objective was to employ a qualified music teacher, who would also train a community member to teach music.

We knew from past experiences that music teachers are a rural rarity, especially since music has been taken out of the school curriculum in the late 1990’s.

We identified two potential candidates: one had a stronger musical background, having taught music as well as being a performer. The other candidate had a strong love of music, plus clever music teaching ideas, which he developed after working for many years as a mediator on community projects.

We spend some time discerning which person would be the right candidate for this important role, and eventually settled on the music teacher, Mr Fowler.

Mr Fowler is passionate about developing music in the Overberg District, which encompasses the entire southern tip of Africa. This has brought him in contact with another community upliftment organisation who are based in the town of Hermanus. This organisation was desperately keen on combining Fowlers services with their goals and collaborating with The HeadStart Trust. This required some sensitive negotiation, since both organisations has an interest in music as a means of equipping rural communities, and we do support and collaborate with each other. After some time, we managed to convey to the other organisation that the Grapes for Humanity donation was for specific objectives, and that we are to adhere to those specifications.

I can gladly report that the relationship between both organisations is still strong, and we continue to support each other.

The only draw-back is that the start of the music program was delayed.

Mr Fowler soon caught up with the principals of two schools in the Overberg District: Mr  Pedro at De Bron Primary School in Stanford, and Mr Temmers at Protea Primary in Napier.

We remained sensitive to the ideas and expectations of these principals, especially since they allow us access to their institutions. And interestingly enough, the requests were different! The one school wished for a dedicated school band, a marching band, an indigenous dance group (called a riel-dance), and an orchestra. The other school was more set on general music classes for a specific age group.

A music demonstration was done to show the pupils what is possible, and then those interested were signed up. It was a glorious day to hear music emanating from the school grounds, being carrier over the high perimeter security fence of the school, and eventually settling on the humble abodes around the school. Soon some curious onlookers were drawn to see where all the happiness was originating from. Thank you, Grapes for Humanity. The overwhelming thought was that your generous considerateness had made this precious moment possible!

Mr Fowler soon reported that it was too inefficient to conduct music classes, control discipline, and contain the enthusiasm of the young learners by one teacher only. It helps to keep in mind that these children are often described as ‘naughty’, even by the staff, and they have not had music lessons at their schools for the past 2 years.

We discussed this concern and agreed to support another member from the local community, who also has a background in music teaching, with funds allocated to the community member teacher. This person is Mr Bergh, and the pupils have responded positively to his patient and wholly dedicated teaching style. The result is that pupils are divided into more manageable groups and get exposure to more instrument training since both teachers give separate classes simultaneously. Fowler and Bergh also travel together to save costs.

With international Covid regulations relaxing during 2022, Fowler had on opportunity to travel to Europe for some performances. His place was temporarily filled with another local community member and music teacher, Ms Conradie. She has also slotted in well with the music programme and have become lovingly popular amongst the children.

I have come to realise that these teachers need support themselves too. It is not easy working in a rural environment and they have themselves described it as the hardest teaching conditions that they’ve experienced. When we have engagement meetings, it is still inspiring to hear how enthusiastically they speak about the positive effect that music is having on the children.

We also discuss, as a priority, the need to identify a community member and train them to teach music, as set out in our objectives. Now that they have experienced the teaching environment at the two schools, the teachers themselves have a clearer idea of what values to look for in a suitable teacher. They certainly prioritise patience, a willingness to learn music skills, a compassionate temperament, and a caring personality. Having gained this insight, they are now looking for a relevant candidate.

Music instruments

Our objectives have been to focus on guitars, keyboards, and recorders.

Fortunately, we received kind donations of guitars after combining with other music organisations in Cape Town on collaborative used-instrument collection campaigns. Many of these instruments require maintenance to function, but those costs are still less that the need to purchase a new instrument.

Furthermore, we have also found a greater need for percussion instruments, as expressed by the schools.

Experienced feedback from the music teachers dictates that as the children experiment on different instruments, so their interest expands. The children are taking greater care of the instruments as they develop respect towards the instruments in proportion to their musical progress. Therefore, the music teachers are carefully considering which relevant instruments to purchase with the allocated funds.

Personal protective equipment

The need for masks has fortunately fallen away. Funds are still used for sanitation of hands, and music instruments.

Conclusion

The music programme is going well!

Initiatially, we got off to a slower start than planned. This resolved around choosing a correct candidate. Considering the type of person that we have in the main music teacher, Fowler, and his assistant Bergh and part-time assistant Conradie, the delay has been worth the effective teaching, inspiration, and guidance that these three music-uplifting believers demonstrate.

Another delay has been the option of adjusting this project in order to collaborate with another organisation. The HeadStart Trust remained committed to Grapes for Humanity’s donation for this specific project, and the intended objectives. We also still maintain a good relationship with the other organisation.

The music teachers’ lives have been deeply touched through the programme – despite their focus of helping others through music. They have gained a love and deep understanding for rural music teaching. One teacher is desperately keen to develop workshop opportunities for international artists in the Overberg District. Another is aiming to study further in music therapy, in order to use music as a means of addressing the social needs of his students. He has become more aware of these desperate needs as their relationships develop deeper. And the third is experimenting with vegetable gardens and even some fruit orchards to get greater insight into helping rural communities more constructively.

This impact suggests that these music teachers may become powerful community uplifters beyond the timespan of this project. And for that, as well as the precious children gaining confidence, independence, and musical skills, we give our greatest appreciation to Grapes for Humanity.

Lastly… some logistics

The initial delays have meant that we still have just under six months of the programme to run according to the set budget. The school year finishes in December and starts again in January. The application of music lessons may vary in one school, where the principle likes to give a full grade of students access to music classes. This might require some more time from the music teachers, which will impact their fee, and the available budget. We’ll evaluate with the principal when the new academic year starts in late January.

Marketing material of the music programme has appeared on social media, and can be viewed at:

Facebook: (20+) The Headstart Trust | Facebook  

                     (https://www.facebook.com/HeadStartTrust/ )

Instagram: headstart_trust

We also made an updated video to showcase the music programme. It can be viewed at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W57nTgGQQ6mgJTR5IZeo7zSPYgK9Enyw/view?usp=share_link

And an article has been written about the programme and the music teachers for the fifth edition of the beautiful Jack Journal, due to be released in early 2023.

Once again ‘Thank You’ to Grapes for Humanity for your wonderful support. It has been magical. We look forward to reporting further on the programme within the next three months.

Warmest regards,

WP van Zyl

Managing Trustee

The HeadStart Trust