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The Newsletter of the Music Teachers’ Association of South Australia Inc.
The Newsletter of the Music Teachers’ Association of South Australia Incorporated
PO Box 4 RUNDLE MALL SA 5000
Print Post Pub. No 100003224
Vol. 24 No. 2 – Apr/Jun 2016
Vol. 24 No. 2 – Apr/Jun 2016 www.mtasa.com.au
MUSIC TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA – COME TO JAMESTOWN!
By Margie Symonds
At the recent MTASA summer conference in January, I was honoured to be asked to write an article for The Music Stand about ‘Music in Jamestown’. Thank you for the opportunity.
Welcome to Jamestown (photo courtesy of TripAdvisor) Background Jamestown is a medium sized country town in the mid north of South Australia, about 230 kilometres north of the Adelaide General Post Office, with a stable population of around 1,500 people. It is a regional agricultural centre with good services, good facilities and good shopping. Jamestown Community School has students from birth to year twelve, 262 of whom are in years R -12; and across the road, St James’ Catholic School has 92 students in years R-7. Each week five private music teachers come to JCS, as well as one IMS music teacher. The private teachers each have a whole day at the school and teach piano, drums, guitar and vocal lessons. At the time of writing this article, JCS had been allocated two IMS group lessons of flute, clarinet and saxophone to students in year 5. Students at St James have two visiting instrumental music teachers and the opportunity to visit JCS for drum lessons. There are three private piano teachers in Jamestown, two of whom live here and the other travels to Jamestown from Yacka. We are all very busy. My Teaching I teach thirty private piano students, who range in age from 6 to about 60. My lessons are held in private and public schools, churches, in students’ homes and in my own home. Half of these students live at Peterborough, which is about 40 kilometres away and I teach there one day a week. I give students choice and opportunities. They can choose to play for their own enjoyment, prepare and sit for AMEB exams, and perform if they wish. There are many opportunities for performance in our town, including school assembles, school arts’ evenings, the local Jamestown Show and annual piano concerts. Senior students are also encouraged to perform or accompany others at the Lions’ Carols in the Park, the regional SAPS Festival of Music Choir performance, Probus Christmas dinner, church fellowship groups and regional school Showcase Concerts. All of the teachers work together, to ensure as many opportunities for our students as possible. Benefits? Many!! Students practise harder when they have something to play for. They thoroughly enjoy the experience, gain valuable performance skills and love the attention from their friends, teachers and parents. Their confidence grows. Also ... others are inspired to learn! JCS doesn’t offer music as a high school subject. If students wish to study music, they have to travel to
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