Paul Curtis - Ponsonby Intermediate It’s an odd experience returning to an old school, especially when it’s been nearly 10 years since you were last there. I returned to Ponsonby Intermediate to have a conversation with my old music teacher, Paul Curtis, and discover what was new at my old local school. Beyond all the cosmetic changes, like whole new buildings, it hadn’t changed much - Paul was as I remembered him. He told me he’s been at Ponsonby for 13 years, a remarkable feat for a music teacher - it’s a rather engaging and demanding position at a school. After having spoken to him I understood why he’s been such an evergreen member of the staff at Ponsonby.
ARTS + CULTURE SHOWING AT GALLERY 105 JAMES REID Musician and artist James Reid is better known as frontman for Kiwi band The Feelers, but now he has a selection of painted works on show at Gallery 105 on Nelson Street, Auckland. James attended art school at ILAM in the early 90s and this is his debut exhibition of his current work. James’ paintings are imagined textures created by energetic strokes of colour. His paint application creates depth and multiple fields within the picture plane and upon closer investigation reveal the beauty and delicacy of the chance marks created by his process. James says, “I paint in a way that describes the beauty of chaos in the world we live in. There is natural structure in all we see.” F PN GALLERY 105, 105 Nelson Street T: 09 377 1747
The music teacher of today has to be all embracing, especially regarding technology. These are his words as he shows off his 13 strong computer lab. A massive part of his courses revolve around the technology and software that these computers allow him to access. Year 8s are making their own music videos, to music they create and design using GarageBand, a music programme. These programmes allow him to vary his teaching and create classes that continue to engage kids who primarily just want to play the instruments. One of the main focuses of all this software is toward what they call PPTV - the fortnightly news broadcast that each class makes once a year. This is broadcast on the Ponsonby Intermediate website and teaches the students how to interview, film and splice features together to create a well formatted video. Paul of course, being the music teacher, has the job of editing the video and linking the music and audio to the visuals. He sees music as a very important form of communication and one that allows kids to express themselves. Intermediate is a place for having experiences related to music. So in this regard he believes it is important to open as many doors as possible for his students. Many come to intermediate with minimal musical knowledge - having picked up some singing and often ukulele at primary school. He’s trying to make connections with the primary schools, especially as there is a strong support for the ukulele programme in the area. It’s important for intermediate to form a bridge between primary and high school, while creating a space where kids enjoy music and see it as a positive thing to continue with. Aside from the one term of music each class has, there is a weekly music assembly run by Paul which allows him to showcase some of his soloists (aside from singing and other musical activities). This helps to build a culture for the school and provide an outlet for some of his talented students to ‘show off’. With only five lunchtimes a week there is a shortage of space for the numerous kids who want to join rock bands and so Paul is running auditions at the moment. Some of his school bands come together in music class but many he puts together to get the experience of being in a band. He has a concert band that last year outdid themselves at the school production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. They performed the music of the Beatles to the play - all written and arranged by Paul. Many parents commented that it was astonishing that the musicians were only kids, with a few terms of rehearsals. All of these things make for a very busy life at Ponsonby Intermediate for Paul, but he is not done exploring, learning and developing his craft. He has recently done a professional development course learning about a new technique for teaching. Called Kodaly, it is a platform that teaches music methodically and uses structure to allow kids to internalise the music they learn and understand what they are playing. It gives Paul an alternative way of teaching and structuring his lessons, providing a new way of framing music learning for his kids. He joined a band when he was 15 as the singer. He left high school for music and has never looked back. He currently sings in a Celtic group called Celtic Grooves that fuse rock music with bagpipe bands - a combination that is mind-blowing and well worth exploring. (FINN MCLENNAN-ELLIOTT) F PN
The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
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PONSONBY NEWS+ June 2014
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