Parent, Pupil & Teacher Sessions

From April 2007, when we initiated a collective training workshop, together with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company – during Laurie Wapenaar’s CEO tenure, we began with training workshops for Parent, pupils and teachers in group sessions.

These groups were focused on helping the teachers with explaining what it takes to have an easy to play/ learn on instrument with good sound to encourage practice and playing.

Depending on the age and schooling background of the session audience, we determined the degree of detail and level of mechanical explanations.

The types of topics that we uncovered were:

1. The importance of Setup & Regulation
2. How point 1 either makes it easier or harder to draw a good sound.
3. For point 2 we elaborated on each component and explained how it effects technique, playability and sound.
4. How to identify problems or repairs needed – ie. looking for and noticing openings at the seams or other glue joints.
5. Maintaining things like bridge position and preventing it from bending because of tuning at the pegs. How the parents help the smaller ones do something that is tricky with small weaker fingers:)
6. Q&A looking at things like why not to give a tiny pupil a half size violin to grow into instead of just getting the right size to start with, despite the cost.
7. The importance of the bow! The exclamation mark is important here. One would think that all teachers would know or swear by this. However because of cost, availability, shop stewards who don’t know any better and a lack of luthiers who don’t know or care enough – Too many beginners are stuck with a bow that handicaps their progress because it doesn’t allow for control and articulation. The bow should be called the ‘Sonic Wand’, it is that important for wholesome learning and playing for everyone!

In no particular order, below are some of the places and provinces where we hosted these workshops:

Johannesburg & Pretoria.

1. Pridwin Primary school, Rosebank.
2. South African National Orchestra (SANYO) Camp, William’s Block, WITS.
3. Regina Mundi School, Soweto.
4. SCIBONO, school sessions at our work bench there, CBD.
5. Musion for the SANYO camp, Pretoria

Bloemfontein & Kimberley.

1. Odion Music Hall, UFS.
2. Mangaung Strings program, Bloemfontein CBD.
3. Private school in Kimberley.

Eastern and Western Cape.

1. ECPO (Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra) learners at some of the affiliated outreach schools and at the Feather Market, PE CBD.
2. WCMA (West coast Music Academy) Some of the parents came to our training session there to find out more about how their children can benefit from better instruments, Hopefield.
3. Hugo Lambrecht as part of the Strings competition.

What we Discovered while doing this.

As a fundamental and integrated learning should provide for sessions where the pupil, parents adn teachers discover the intricacies of the violin’s components, how they fit together and what their influences are on sound as well as playability.

Knowing what to look for when the instrument sounds snaaks.