AKO PUORO – Programme

1.       Reflection Service ‘Three in One’ – Rev. Rona Halsall (Millenium 3 Room)

2.       Waiata Workshop – Leon Gray (Mokoia Room)

                 ‘5 Countries – Aspects of musical education in Germany, USA, UK,  Norway and  New Zealand’

1.       Strings Masterclass – Lara Hall, acc. Rachael Griffiths-Hughes  (Mokoia Room)  

2.       A Kodály-inspired approach to developing children’s musicianship through choral singing –  Megan Flint  (Millenium 1 Room) 

This presentation will explore ways to develop young singers’ musicianship skills in the choral rehearsal including intonation, sight-reading and score reading. Using a Kodály-inspired aural-vocal approach, teachers and conductors can assist their young singers to become more confident, independent musicians through activities designed to educate the musical mind, heart, head and hand.

1.       The Importance of Musical and Cultural Heritage and Identity – Judith Bell  

The importance of students researching their musical heritage back through the generations and how that influences them now, helps understand their identity and also builds family relationships and well-being.This session looks at how this is taught and incorporated in a school setting, but is applicable in any situation.The workshop will comprise a short demonstration sharing a lesson plan and example. We discuss how this has been taught across a middle school and will then discuss the value of asking students to complete this project. Values include valuing and understanding our own heritage and identity as well as others around us, whanaunataunga, helping aging relatives find joy in later years and learning contexts around musical heritages.

2.       As an instrumental music teacher, how can I support my school and my students in the NCEA curriculum refresh? – Barbara Morgan

Music, as an NCEA subject, is currently being reviewed and a draft document is developing. In-school trials of the draft document are due to occur in 2023, with the confirmed refreshed curriculum document is to be implemented in 2024. The emphasis, among others, is on Mataura Maori, numeracy, literacy and the application of the new look achievement standards. These changes can appear daunting to instrumental teachers whose interactions with the school system are limited. However instrumental music teachers are vital for student achievement and music departments across the country will be obliged to include the changes.
People who participate in this workshop will gain an understanding of the concepts that underpin the curriculum document. A range of practical resources will be provided that will be usable in private studios and the ITM room. Interactive activities will allow participants the opportunity to develop their own resources specific to their teaching spaces.

As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child and by incorporating this sense of whakawhanaungatanga into their own teaching philosophy, Ludwig and Elisha prioritise building strong relationships with families and the wider community of their students, as an effective way of keeping their students positively engaged in their learning with them. In this presentation and Q & A, Ludwig and Elisha will be sharing their personal experiences on how they do this within their studio and classroom teaching and learning environments. They will be touching on various discussion points, covering: 

·         Establishing positive relationships with students, whānau and the wider community. 

·         Building a positive support network amongst students. 

·         Getting to know your learners and creating lessons that relate to who they are. 

·         Creating a cone of trust in lesson and performance environments. 

·         Creating  a teaching and learning space that is safe and inclusive of all students.

Baroque Concert for Violin and Harpsichord 

Lara Hall – Violin,  Rachael Griffiths-Hughes – Harpsichord

 “He Waiata na Parearohi” and “Pokarekare Ana” – arrangement by Leon Gray. Parts will be available at a later date.

1.       Piano Masterclass – Michael Endres (Mokoia Room)

2.       The Wiremu Vowel Clock – Robert Wiremu (Millennium 1 Room)

As an alternative to the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is a system of symbols (glyphs) that represent specific sounds (phonemes), Robert created the Wiremu Vowel Clock. It is a system that allows for quicker communication between ensembles/soloists and conductors/coaches about vowel matching, in any language. It was a response to the complexity of discussing vowels using IPA, which is less specific. If tuning for choirs is both about the placement of a pitch plus the alignment of the vowel (and its endemic harmonic structure) then we must find a way to better communicate and understand vowels. It’s an ongoing exploration…

1.       Arranging – Judith Bell

Practical tips on combining unusual instruments and different levels successfully. The session will include real examples from diverse middle school ensembles.

2.       Changing the Culture of Private Music Teaching  ~ Annual Basic Workload – Christy Yau 

Annual Basic Workload is a system I developed with the initial intention of ensuring teachers working in my studio do their job well by assigning a set of work in all areas (repertoire, studies, sight reading and scales) to their students in the beginning of the year. All students and parents will be notified of their Annual Basic Workload so that they are aware of the realistic and measurable expectation of what to complete before the end of the year. The teaching content has become so much more transparent to parents, and this also acts as a ‘reminder’ for all teachers on what each student needs to accomplish.Pre-planning music lessons and updating weekly progress can be quite daunting for a group of artistic, spontaneous, free spirited music teachers including myself. Annual Basic Workload took many years to develop. However, today this system benefits both students and teachers and had changed the culture of teaching in my studio.

Discover and explore the ancient Maori instruments, ‘taonga puoro’, and song, ‘waiata’ of our tupuna, ancestors. Develop an understanding of the deep connection of our ancestors to the land, the origins of our music and the beautiful poetry in their/our song. Experience the beauty of our instruments, their origins, their place of ‘mana’, integrity and purpose among our people. Take this opportunity to use and play some of these instruments.

Join with us as we use our ‘rakau’ short sticks to create a stick game. Become aware of the importance of this game to our people, not just as an enjoyable pass time, but also as a tool to prepare younger generations for the vigors of life.

1.Reflection Service ‘Three in One’ – Rev. Rona Halsall (Millennium 3 Room)

               2.Waiata Refined Workshop – Leon Gray (Mokoia Room)

Imagine looking back on your music theory lessons as a kid and remembering only laughter, winning, ease, relaxation & fun? Equally, imagine remembering being a kid who was always ahead in music theory because you knew so much? And all with no memory of written homework from music lessons?                                                                                                  Leon Gray has spent years in classrooms and his own private studio examining how to achieve these outcomes, leading to the development of the Activated Theory of Music (ATOM) programme – where shared reading, games and verbal review reign supreme. Learn about how targeted, winnable games and tracking strategies can create positive associations with theory which feed ongoing student curiosity.  Join Leon for discussions, demonstrations, and tips & tricks about how these aspects might complement your own studio practice in an interactive, informative and entertaining session.

This conference is part of the long and winding musical journey we each take through our lives and we are meeting in a place where knowledge is shared through stories. So I will tell you a story about a journey. It might be a journey made by you or me, it might be a journey through a world of many musics, or it might be a story about the journey IRMTNZ is making. I leave it to you to decide what the story might mean to you.

“He Waiata na Parearohi” composed by Fergus Byett, and “Pokarekare Ana” arr.Leon Gray.