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Journal No. 113, October 2020
Triumphing over Adversity
From kia ora to ni hao: classroom music in Shanghai
Beethoven’s heroism D
MUSIC TEA
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Lockdown adventures with unique learners
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He waka eke noa – we are all in this together
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Discover our
New Piano syllabus ®
2021 & 2022 JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF
REGISTERED MUSIC TEACHERS OF NEW ZEALAND
learnmusicnz.org.nz
October 2020, Issue No. 113, ISBN: 1176-1490
MUSIC TEA
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NEW FOR 2021
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A new Initial Grade for Piano,
providing a pre-Grade 1 assessment
Piano Exam Pieces, available with IRMTNZ Patron: Michael Houstoun CNZM
New scales requirements and
or without CD, from Initial Grade to supporting resources
Grade 8 offer a varied selection of 9 More choice and variety of IRMTNZ Mission Statement
pieces per grade from the syllabus. repertoire (30 pieces per grade) The Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand (IRMTNZ) is a professional
organisation which supports registered music teachers by providing regular professional
A duet option from Initial Grade
development opportunities and upholding standards of excellence in the teaching of the art
Piano Scales and Arpeggios to Grade 3 of music.
A one-year overlap period - all pieces
The Piano Scales & Arpeggios and scales must be from the same IRMTNZ Aims
books have been revised syllabus To develop the musical potential of each student
to match the new scales To promote and encourage excellence in music education
To provide opportunities for performance and encourage creativity
requirements.
To promote musical understanding of all genres
To provide music teachers with continuing education
To ensure that music continues to be part of the future cultural heritage of New Zealand.
IRMTNZ President: Margaret Maw – margaret.maw@gmail.com
IRMTNZ Registrar: Elene Anderson, PO Box 4122, Christchurch 8140 – registrar@irmt.org.nz
Ritmico Editor: Cathy Martin – cathy@muscat.co.nz
Ritmico Production: Bright Communications Ltd, Wellington – chris@bright.co.nz
Every effort is made to publish accurate information.
Material published in Ritmico may be reproduced only with the permission of the Editor.
ABRSM supports the teaching and learning of music Discover more and download the syllabus: Cover photo: Shanghai, Jane Coles
in partnership with four Royal Schools of Music. All photos supplied unless otherwise stated.i
www.abrsm.org /abrsm @abrsm_music
abrsm.org/piano
Please note that the views expressed in Ritmico are not necessarily those of the IRMTNZ Council.
@abrsm @abrsm ABRSM YouTube #ABRSMpiano
1
Contents From the President
3 From the President – Margaret Maw Noho tawhiti, tū kotahi - while we must sit apart, let us stand
6 From the Registrar – Elene Anderson united. Let’s do this in these challenging times!
When we take time to look back on this year, I think we will all
CELEBRATING BEETHOVEN 250
find that in these testing times we as music teachers have been
12 Beethoven: the Quartets by Rod Biss
extremely resourceful in running our music teaching studios.
16 If Beethoven were with us now… IRMTNZ Conference 2020 keynote address
by William Dart Many registered music teachers had never taken lessons online
but given the circumstances they quickly learnt about the
18 Beethoven: triumphing over adversity – inspirational quotes
technology out in the big wide world that would enable them to
FEATURES carry on teaching. Well done teachers! With sporting events and
20 From kia ora to ni hao: an international teaching experience by Jane Coles Margaret Maw schooling being so disrupted during the year music became one
24 Lessons Online of the ‘constants’. Music teachers were able to be guests in their students’ homes and provide
The lockdown adventures of a music teacher and her unique students some stability in students’ lives.
by Wendy Richards
Branches became very creative in ways to connect with their members when they were unable
28 Teacher Refreshment: the perfect brew by Marg Ogilvie
to hold regular face to face meetings. Examples include newsletters, phone calls to check on
30 NZCT Chamber Music Contest - adjudicator Chris Greenslade and Chamber Music
the wellbeing of members, and Zoom recitals and meetings. Some branches even had guest
New Zealand report
speakers at their Zoom meetings. AGM’s were mostly managed by Zoom and branch financials
34 The Arts Curriculum: time to raise the flag by Perry Rush
were supplied to the Registrar by the required date. Thinking outside the square quickly became
38 Level Management by Jeni Little
the norm.
IRMTNZ NEWS Council met by Zoom over two Saturdays in July. It was a ‘big ask’ and commitment and all
8 The Institute’s Strategic Plans by Emeritus Professor John Drummond Councillors rose to the challenge. Sub-committees met during the first week followed by a full-
40 Honours and Awards day Council meeting the following week. Our 2016 – 2020 Strategic Plan has been reviewed and
45 Obituaries Council can report that our comprehensive plan nears completion this is very rewarding to both
46 Bridging Cultures: Beethoven 250 and Beyond – a conference overview Council and our members. These achievements will continue to be maintained along with five
by Rebecca Wilson new goals to be worked through over the next four years. These goals have been noted in the
49 IRMTNZ Conference 2022 latest Council bulletin and a full Strategic Plan report written by John Drummond is in this edition
of Ritmico.
SOUND BITES
It has been pleasing to see that many members have taken (for many a challenge) online
50 Cleanliness in the time of COVID: heath and safety tips for music teachers
Continuous Professional Development (CPD). Never before has this been so important. When
51 The Lost Pianos of Siberia – book review by Rosemary Bromley and Barbara
we are unable to have face-to-face professional development, online webinars are the next
Campbell
best thing. The videos on our website have been accessed by teachers and teachers have also
52 Southern Stars to Shine: the inaugural Dunedin Concerto Competition
been involved in other webinars. By embracing CPD teachers are maintaining their professional
About Ritmico – IRMTNZ Journal
standard as well as keeping up with current teaching pedagogy. Our own IRMTNZ Upskill Teacher
Training course is another way to extend one’s teaching skills. Take time to have a look at this
course: information is on our website under Teacher Training. We can’t stand still as the world is
forever changing. It is encouraging that the Institute continues to attract new teachers wanting
2 3
to become registered. Even in these difficult times we are moving forward!
Encouragingly, 90% of our members paid their subscription by 30 June. Without our members
we wouldn’t have an Institute and in these unprecedented times we do need to unite and stand
together. Work on our NZQA recognition project, although a little slower this year due to COVID
-19, continues to be on track.
Ritmico Online continues to resonate by keeping members up-to-date with Institute happenings
and interesting articles relating to the music world. It is excellent reading for us throughout the PIANO 2021–2023
year.
On your behalf I would like to thank all Councillors and our Government Nominee, John Drummond, Initial–Grade 8
for their effort, time and commitment to the Institute. It has been a year fraught with challenges
but by working together towards the same goals, we are coming out the other side in a positive,
forward-thinking manner. I would especially like to thank our Registrar, Elene. Her dedication to
Your performance. Your choice.
the Institute and the effort she has undertaken to keep our website up-to-date with current COVID
-19 information is much appreciated. Governance of the Institute continues to be in good hands.
Extensive repertoire
As I write this our largest branch is at Alert Level 3 and the remaining branches at Alert Level 2.
Choose from our largest repertoire lists to date, which include 35 pieces per
I trust by the time Ritmico reaches you we will all be back to Alert Level 1 and our lives will have
grade, a range of international composers and a selection of popular pieces
returned to the ‘new norm’. It was with much disappointment that our 2021 IRMTNZ Conference from the 2018–2020 syllabus.
had to be postponed but we look forward to meeting in Rotorua in January 2022.
Re-imagined books
The keystone of our teaching is in the past, the present and the future.
There are now a minimum of 12 pieces in your graded exam book, with 21
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and stress-free summer break. pieces in the Extended Edition — nine in an additional ebook. Both editions
include detailed performance notes, while the Extended Edition also includes
Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be brave, be steadfast.
scales, arpeggios and downloadable audio.
Margaret Maw President IRMTNZ
Young Composers’ Competition
margaret.maw@gmail.com
Aspiring composers can take inspiration from the inclusion of one new piece
per grade written by the winners of our Young Composers’ Competition.
Flexible syllabus
Personalise your exam — you can choose to perform your own original
composition, a duet at Initial to Grade 3 and a selection of supporting tests.
Online support
A range of free, online support resources, produced with professional
musicians and educators, help develop your performance skills and
musical knowledge.
Photo: Andrew Watson
To find out more visit /TrinityCollegeLondon @TrinityC_L
trinitycollege.com/piano /TrinityVideoChannel @trinity_college_london_music
Front row L–R: Andrew Buchanan-Smart, Catherine Martin (Communications Coordinator), Elene Anderson (Registrar),
Margaret Maw (President), Wendy Hunt (Vice President), John Drummond (Government Nominee)
Back row L–R: Margaret Whitworth, Annemarie Gasparini, Jocelyn Donaldson, Katherine Jones, Sian Williamson
4 5
From our Registrar
communicating and are committed to supporting the IRMTNZ. This is very humbling for Council
and I thank all our members for their loyalty.
To be resourceful in the face of adversity, we need to look after our mental and physical wellbeing
and to stay connected. I urge branches to check up on those members who are not on email
and who might be feeling isolated. The key learning from previous disasters has been that
communities that are connected are more resilient and recover better than those where the
predominant outlook is every person for themselves.
As we approach the end of a tumultuous year, I wish you and your families a happy Christmas
and best wishes for 2021.
Elene Anderson in Lugano, Switzerland, 2017 Elene Anderson Registrar IRMTNZ
registrar@irmt.org.nz
2020 has proved to be very challenging: a year that New Zealanders, our ‘team of five million’, have
mostly taken in stride. We’ve relied on science, our sense of fairness, kindness and compassion,
and strong governance as a country to get us through. As a proud Cantabrian for many years,
I can attest to the strength of our people in the face of multiple adverse events: we have found
ways to cope with and even thrive through devastating earthquakes, the Port Hills fires, shocking
and deadly terrorist attacks, and now a global pandemic.
I have been thinking about what makes us Kiwis so resourceful in the face of adversity. The
original Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand after long, perilous sea voyages in tiny craft,
relying on their knowledge of navigation by the stars to get here. Settlers from Europe arrived full
of hopes and dreams of rising above rigid class structures and limitations. Our ‘number 8 wire’
mentality arose from the need to use whatever was at hand to carve out a living from this remote
land. Our hardy pioneers and their notions of equality, fairness and honesty meant that we were
the first country to give women the vote and the first to introduce the eight-hour working day. We
have welcomed migrants from all over the world and refugees who have escaped unimaginable
horrors. We live in a stunningly beautiful country and due to the foresight of our leaders, we enjoy
natural scenery and undeveloped vistas in many national parks that are the envy of much of the
world.
So how do we as an Institute get through this difficult time and embrace the ‘new normal’ of living
in an on-going pandemic? As our President, Margaret Maw, has mentioned, our members and
branches have risen to the challenge of online learning and communications. Paradoxically this
is the most connected that we have been for a long time: branches had many more attendees
for their online AGMs than would have turned up at a face-to-face meeting! The Registration
Board is busy reviewing an increasing number of applications for membership and our members
are embracing CPD online in ever-increasing numbers. Instead of focusing on what we cannot
control, our members have embraced new technologies and new ways of doing business and
6 7
The Institute’s Strategic Plans
Our Government Nominee, Emeritus powerful role we perform nationally in Now, four years later, the Council has reviewed
Professor John Drummond, reports on our music education progress and developed its next Strategic
2016 Strategic Plan and looks ahead to the Plan.
• initiated the development of formally
next four years.
recognised qualifications in our Looking ahead to 2021 - 2024
2016 – 2020 in retrospect professional area, a move greeted with
We’ve come a long way in four short years with
enthusiasm by the NZQA and other
In January 2016 the Council adopted a the help and support of members far and wide.
national organisations.
comprehensive Strategic Plan, which arose Now it’s time to enlarge our vision, expand our
from a series of surveys and TalkFest - a Our third goal was to develop “an organisation reach, and cement our position as leaders in
brainstorm for members held in Wellington. clearly visible to those seeking music music education in New Zealand Aotearoa. At
Everyone agreed that the Institute needed to education,” whilst the fourth was to build “an its July 2020 meeting the Council agreed on
John Drummond organization with a strong presence on the
move forward with fresh ideas and become five new goals, which we will aim to reach while
more attractive to new members. • developed a Cultural Diversity policy internet”. In response to these challenges we: we continue to pursue our existing activities
recognising our obligations under the • developed a Communications and and developments.
What have we achieved?
Treaty of Waitangi and our increasingly Marketing plan Three of these goals pick up ongoing business.
Our 2016 Plan set out four clear goals. The multi-cultural society.
first was to develop “an open, user-friendly • renewed our branding which includes a
The second goal was to develop “an Goal 1: to establish recognised
organization that facilitates membership and new logo, tagline and colour palette, and
organisation that has a strong and visible qualifications in private music teaching.
supports its members”. In response to this provided members with a branding style
place in the wider world of music education”. This is a complex process which we have
challenge we: guide
In response to this challenge we: begun, and which requires careful negotiation
• simplified the application process, leading • introduced our new website, with existing authorities, but we know what we
• have established a Memorandum of learnmusicnz.org.nz
to an increase in applications and new are doing, and it is achievable.
Understanding (MOU) with MENZA, the
members • formed a Communications
organisation for school music teachers Goal 2: to establish IRMTNZ as an
Sub-Committee and appointed a
• introduced Continuous Professional organisation embracing cultural diversity.
• strengthened ties with other music Communications Coordinator (CoCo)
Development (CPD) to give increased
organisations: we also have an MOU with It’s vital that the Institute supports music
opportunities to our members to build • launched our e-newsletter, Ritmico Online
the New Zealand Choral Federation and education in a wide range of cultures. We also
their skills and experience which is published seven times per annum
the number of Associate Organisation need to reflect better the bicultural nature of
• updated our Code of Ethics, Health and members has increased • launched our Facebook page New Zealand Aotearoa. Council approved a
Safety, and Privacy Policies to give our • provided promotional materials for policy in this area last year and now we must
• are recognised by the Teaching Council as
members security in their professional work branches and individual members to use. implement it.
a significant provider through our Teacher
• introduced annual briefing sessions Education Refresh course • introduced postcards and advertisements Goal 3: to locate IRMTNZ and its
for Branch secretaries and financial encouraging music teachers to join members more firmly in the national
• prepared and circulated to fellow
templates for Branch treasurers to help IRMTNZ music education sector
organisations in music and education
branches negotiate the challenges of new We’ve made some progress here but it’s slow
our What’s the Score report revealing the
reporting standards and more is needed. One matter that concerns
8 9
us is that many of our members are teaching suggestion of requiring individual members to
in support of the NCEA assessment system become carbon-neutral in their daily lives. This
without due recognition. challenge is something that many potential
Our Strategic Plan has two more goals. members would expect us to address. NEW ZEALAND
The Council has formed a small working SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Goal 4: to ensure the needs of national-
group for each of these five goals with the TE KŌKĪ
only members are met
responsibility of developing pathways towards
We need to encourage national-only members
to join branches, and if geography makes this
achieving them. These groups will report to
1st in NZ for Music
research quality Top 1 % worldwide for
Performing Arts
Council at every meeting. As ever we’ll keep
difficult, we need to find other ways to support
members posted on progress.
them.
Study
John Drummond retired in 2014 after 38 years as Blair Professor
Goal 5: to become carbon-neutral by 2030
of Music at the University of Otago. His career has embraced
This goal reflects the steps being taken by the worlds of opera and music education. He was President of
many organizations who are aware of the the NZ Society for Music Education in the 1990s, and President
of the International Society for Music Education from 2001 to
challenges presented by climate change.
what
2003. John is a published author and is also well known as a
This refers to the organization, and there is no broadcaster on matters musical.
AGM 2021
you love
The IRMTNZ AGM 2021 will be held on
Friday 29 January.
Due to the possibility of flights being rescheduled and/or changing Alert Levels,
the January 2021 Council meeting will be held by Zoom video conference.
Consequently the AGM will also be held by Zoom. Details of the AGM Zoom link
will be sent to members by email. Please note this date in your diary.
Explore our flexible
music study options
Benefit from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s
breadth of study options. Continue towards a career in performance
with a Bachelor of Music or study music for the love of it by including
Music courses as part of another qualification.
EXPLORE OPTIONS DISCOVER LIFE AT THE NZSM
www.wgtn.ac.nz/music www.facebook.com/NZSMusic
10 11
Beethoven: the Quartets
on the monumental greatness of the music do. We’ve spent quite a lot of time, since those
might frighten some listeners away. “There’s no last cycles, on Beethoven’s forerunners, Haydn
by Rod Biss need to be intimidated,” says Ansell. “There’s and Mozart, and also on composers inspired
so much just to revel in: the surface is almost by Beethoven such as Schubert, Schumann,
always tonal, beautiful, accessible”. She talks Brahms and Shostakovich. This puts Beethoven
of “easy-going, folky music” alongside “music more and more into perspective for us.”
from a soul cut off [by deafness] from regular Beethoven’s quartets are conveniently divided
contact with the world, searching ever deeper, into the three periods of Beethoven’s life.
creating sublime, timeless utterances to pass The influence of Mozart, whom Beethoven
on to humanity.” respected deeply, and Haydn with whom
This is not the first time the NZSQ has he briefly studied, is clearly present. One
played the complete series of Beethoven of Beethoven’s patrons, Count Waldstein,
quartets. They toured the country with them summed it up by saying that “you receive the
in 2000—2001 and 2011—2012, so I asked spirit of Mozart from the hands of Haydn”.
about the experience of revisiting them: It seems, though, that Beethoven didn’t
Photographer: Mark Robinson
“They’re wonderful to come back to,” says put much value on his lessons with Haydn:
Pohl. “Individually it’s like seeing an old friend imagine “cocky, opinionated, brash, young
after an absence, you see new aspects to their Beethoven with witty, charming, gentle, older
personality, you see how you’ve changed and Haydn,” says Ansell.
New Zealand String Quartet L - R: Helene Pohl, Monique Lapins, Gillian Ansell, Rolf Gjelsten
how that makes you see them differently.” Would they ever have discussed sonata form,
Beethoven’s string quartets are “absolutely confidence and questioning, organisation of
ideas balanced against moments of seeming “New revelations and perspectives continually I wondered? “No one knows exactly what
the centrepiece of the repertoire”, says
chaos, great spirituality and humble peasant arise, old problems dissipate and new ones went wrong in those lessons with Haydn - we
Gillian Ansell, violist of the New Zealand
humour. All this from just four instruments: all appear,” says Gjelsten. “There is a certain would all love to have been flies on the wall!”
String Quartet (NZSQ). Cellist Rolf Gjelsten
that is lacking is shallow display or the tinsel way each of the pieces breathes and unfolds. says Ansell. In fact, although sonata form was
describes them as “the pinnacle – the ultimate
glitter of showy orchestration. The quartets I feel that over the last decade we are closer certainly not a textbook form in those days,
technical and musical challenge . . .the sense
are “just real, live communication!” says first to finding a way to make each quartet come to it perfectly served the Age of Enlightenment
of fulfilment that a quartet gets from them is
violinist Helene Pohl. “Pop and folk musicians life in its own way – and indeed our own way.” spirit: an interest in discussion of ideas and the
immeasurable”.
can’t believe we don’t amplify: less sound, In the intervening years, the NZSQ has added belief that after discussion one hears (perhaps
So, when the NZSQ wanted to mark the unconsciously) those ideas in a new light.
more meaningful subtlety.” to their repertoire, looking back to Bach as well
composer’s 250th anniversary this year how
as playing new music from both 20th and 21st “That is the success of sonata form”, says
better to do it than with a complete survey of Mahler said that all life was in his symphonies,
centuries including many New Zealand scores.
Beethoven’s quartets. It’s a grand, perhaps but in a more intimate way that is also true
Inevitably, Ansell believes, this affects the way “They’re wonderful to come back to…. it’s like
daunting undertaking, but for both players and of Beethoven’s quartets, and it is significant
they approach Beethoven. “Every time you seeing an old friend after an absence, you see
their audiences it’s musically life-enhancing. that the finale of Mahler’s life-embracing
learn a new work or return to an old one, the new aspects to their personality, you see how
They are the Everest of the chamber music Third Symphony is so closely, and knowingly,
sum of all the previous musical experiences you’ve changed and how that makes you see
repertoire, the equivalent of Shakespeare’s modelled on the slow movement of Beethoven’s
is sitting inside you and either consciously or them differently.”
sonnets in their depth, significance and quiet last quartet, Op. 135.
subconsciously affecting everything that you – Helene Pohl, 1st violin, NZSQ
humanity. In them there is joy and sadness, There is, however, a danger that this emphasis
12 13
Gjelsten. “When we arrive home from our
perilous journey abroad through so many
keys and fragmented ideas, we are able to
appreciate where we have been and the beauty
Sales,
of home”.
I imagine that for a string quartet that sense of
Rentals,
discussion, the sense of handing on an idea to
another player and then commenting on it may Repairs.
be particularly strong?
“The interplay or discourse between the
parts in Beethoven quartets is exhilarating,
especially in the late quartets. There is the Rod Biss
sense that we each have a substantial role,
period’ in Beethoven’s life sees him “taking the
whether it be as a support for a melody or to
medium to a new place after another decade
continue a melody or deflect an idea. Each
of not writing a string quartet. His ideals for
player must simply be in the flow together –
the ‘brotherhood of man’ as expressed in the
just like a good rugby team!”
Ninth Symphony now take on ironic twists with
Beethoven began composing his middle period secular and sacred, peasant and aristocrat,
quartets after a gap of five years since the personal and communal, song and dance all
early quartets, during which he had written his mixed together yet miraculously held together
opera Fidelio, sonatas, concertos and his first compositionally. It’s as if Beethoven is finally
three symphonies. He was facing the trauma resigning himself to his mortal struggles, to
of deafness “and the world had changed,” fate and will, and expressing an overarching
says Ansell. “Beethoven admired the ideals idea that all the diversity and paradox that
of the French Revolution, believing in the exist in society and life are operating under
brotherhood of man, declaring all men equal a unifying force. I would go as far as to say
and free. He was originally a great supporter that each late quartet contains a profound
AUCKL AND NORTH ISLAND SOUTH ISLAND
of Napoleon but was disgusted when he message about our purpose in this world.” EPSOM HAMILTON NELSON
declared himself emperor. His works became ALBANY TAUR ANGA BLENHEIM
The NZSQ will tour Beethoven’s complete
epic in length and content. The three quartets NORTHWEST GISBORNE HORNBY (C HC H)
string quartets nationwide in 2020 and 2021. HENDERSON NAPIER PAPANUI (C HC H)*
dedicated to Count Razumovsky, his Op. 59,
For full details see nzsq.org.nz. TAK APUNA HUTT CITY DUNEDIN
are huge pieces, each one a significant journey,
BOTANY WELLINGTON
incredibly satisfying to play and to hear.” A previous version of this article appeared in
The Listener 11 Feb 2011. * P A P A N U I C H R I S T C H U R C H – N E W S T O R E O P E N I N G S O O N !
In this 250th celebration of Beethoven,
the NZSQ shine the spotlight exclusively Rod Biss is a music journalist and composer whose writing
has appeared in many widely read publications. In 2009 he was kbbmusic.co.nz 0800 775 226 kbbmusic kbbmusicnz
on the late quartets in two of their eight named Reviewer of the Year in the New Zealand Qantas Media
programmes. Gjelsten says that this ‘late Awards for his work in NZ Opera News and the NZ Listener.
14 15
At the IRMTNZ Conference 2020, ‘Bridging Cultures’,
William Dart presented a Keynote Address:
If Beethoven were with us now…
In this excerpt, William Dart reminds us afresh of Beethoven’s adversity and the
monumental result of his triumphing over it.
Today — and in fact for quite a few days —
we’ve gathered together to celebrate one of the
unavoidable Titans of music …
It’s impossible - outside of the realm of fantasy
fiction - to imagine Beethoven dropped into Excerpt from the cadenza, Piano Concerto No. 3, first movement.
the year 2020 as some sort of time-traveller.
able to hear a shepherd singing, the sensation Experience William Dart’s insightful Keynote
However, bearing in mind the title of this
of, as he put it, hot terror when people Address in its entirety – video recorded and
conference — Bridging Cultures — I’m still
approached and he feared that his weakness available free to IRMTNZ members in the
pretty happy with the concept of making
would stand in the way of communication. But, Members Only area of our website, under
connections. Connections that range from
in spite of all this, Beethoven stressed that he Continuous Professional Development.
the irrevocable move from one note to another
still had an indomitable love for mankind, and William Dart has pursued a diverse career after completing a
through to the coming together of motifs and William Dart
a desire to do good… PhD at Auckland University in 1976 on the songs of Hubert Parry
phrases into mighty symphonic structures. its way, a minor miracle of endlessly inventive and Cyril Scott. Piano teaching and school teaching in the 1970s
This is a concept that’s at the very core of frugality. It’s extraordinary just how much this and ‘80s would be balanced by lecturing at the University of
What if Beethoven were with us today? …“The Waikato for 12 years from 1998. Working in theatre, he provided
Beethoven’s music and, I believe, of the man composer can draw from such basic material. final answer to an unanswerable question the score for Mervyn Thompson’s Songs to the Judges in 1980,
himself. Beethoven was in his early 30s when he wrote must lie in the music that Beethoven has as well as his own Give Us a Kiss and Away with the Fairies. As
an editor, he has been at the helm of Art New Zealand since 1982
I still remember the pleasure that I had back in this work, around the turn of the [19th] century. left us. In 2020, Beethoven’s music is still and, in 1988, founded the quarterly Music in New Zealand. As an
the 1970s, teaching fifth form School Certificate The world was changing both politically and in vibrantly alive, drawing in audiences over a independent journalist, he wrote extensively for the New Zealand
Listener and Rip it Up from the 1970s to the ‘90s, and today
Music. Investigating with my students just how terms of the arts. The well-behaved classicism wide spectrum of backgrounds and tastes.” is best known for his 17 years of writing for the New Zealand
ingenious Beethoven is in the first movement of one century was about be taken over by William Dart Herald while his radio programmes for RNZ Concert include a
weekly New Horizons show, now in its 39th year.
of his Third Piano Concerto. This was back in the impending romanticism of another, and
the good old days when there were stipulated all was not well with Beethoven. There were
set works, scores that you ended up knowing already signs of his oncoming deafness. This
phrase for phrase and note for note. spurred him, in October 1802, to bare his soul
Looking back now there seems even more to to his brothers, in an extraordinary document
admire in the man. Beethoven was an absolute that’s come to be known as the Heiligenstadt
master at making a few, simple ingredients go Testament.
a long long way . . . . without sacrificing either In this cri de coeur, never posted at the time,
musical substance or deliciousness. The Beethoven speaks of the isolation brought on
development section of that concerto is, in by his affliction: the frustrations of not being
16 17Beethoven: triumphing over adversity
MUSIC
Beethoven’s fortitude in the face of extraordinary challenges is an enduring inspiration, and
make
in 2020, seems more relevant to us than ever.
music
“Perhaps my condition will improve, perhaps
it will not. I am obliged – when only in my
twenty-eighth year – to become a philosopher,
and that is not easy, and for an artist it is
harder than for any other. Almighty God, Thou
at UC
lookest down into my innermost being; Thou
knowest that the love of mankind and the
desire to do good dwell therein. Oh men, when
you once shall read this, reflect then, that you
have wronged me, and let some unfortunate be
comforted that he has found one like himself
who, in the face of all the obstacles which
nature has placed in his path, has yet done all
that lay in his power to be numbered among
the ranks of worthy artists and men.” – from
the Heiligenstadt Testament.
“Beethoven was a very positive-thinking person
who had to find a positive solution for every Portrait by Joseph Carl Stieler © 1819 - 20
problem. Take the Fifth Symphony which starts
to lead us by day, and a pillar of fire to light the
with such a terrific sense of struggle. I think
night, so that we may march ahead both day and
it could only end for Beethoven in the spirit of
night. His darkness and his light equally trace for
triumphant resolution which it does.”
us the road we must follow; both the one and the
– Daniel Barenboim
other are a perpetual commandment, an infallible
“One of the ways I cope with it [bipolar disorder] revelation.”
is to bathe myself in music like Beethoven’s and - Franz Liszt Participate in a vibrant and innovative
to think of people who have gone before me who musical environment, with a focus on genuine
have been lit by the flame of mania and danced by collaboration with teaching staff, leading
professionals and talented peers.
the icy water of depression”.
– comedian, Stephen Fry Applications open for 2021, apply now online
www.canterbury.ac.nz/arts/music ARTC7693
“To us musicians the work of Beethoven parallels
the pillar of smoke and fire which led the
Israelites through the desert, a pillar of smoke
18 19From kia ora to ni hao
an international teaching experience
Leaving the familiarity of the New Zealand classroom to work at an international school in the
second largest city in the world seemed like a ‘crazy idea’ at first. Jane Coles shares her story.
Where to start?
I am a Wellington primary school music
teacher and teach piano from my own studio
during after school hours.
In 2017 I set myself a rather spontaneous and
personal challenge: I wanted to try teaching
music in an international setting. Reading the
employment guidelines of many international
schools, I knew I only had a few years before
the age restriction of turning 60 came into play.
My four grown children were in full agreement.
“Do it, Mum!” they encouragingly told me.
Jane Coles
So, in 2018, I did just that. The school and the job were wonderful – busy,
After filling in detailed forms for Search professional and demanding. I taught 14
Associates, an international teacher classes: each class had a 40-minute lesson
employment agency, I was contacted by with little time between. My co-teacher and
Shanghai Community International School I planned four concerts a year for the school Shanghai Symphony Hall
in Shanghai, China. It is an American- community which were logistically huge. pop, seeing new streets and communities January, all schools were closed for a week’s
owned school with three campuses across My classroom was a music teacher’s of people. So much learning and such tired holiday. By the end of that week Shanghai was
Shanghai and is compliant with International dream. It was a double space, soundproofed legs by the end of a day, but so worth it! I also quiet and empty and our school was instructed
Baccalaureate (IB) learning. My IB experience and resourced with everything I needed– enjoyed concerts at the Shanghai Symphony not to re-open. Teachers and expatriate
at Queen Margaret’s College in Wellington had xylophones, keyboards, ukuleles and drums. Hall, a magnificent building. families dissipated to other places waiting for
served me well. Each Grade 3 student was given their own this hopefully brief interruption to be over. My
But in January 2020, a year and a half through
After two Skype interviews, I was offered a recorder as part of the curriculum. my two-year contract, everything changed. co-teacher flew to her hometown, Chicago.
two-year contract to teach classroom music to My weekends were spent walking the city Because of the contagious coronavirus we now I reluctantly returned to Wellington……and
Grades 1-5, and to share the busy timetable of with other colleagues. Sometimes we would know as COVID-19, the city of Wuhan was in stayed.
27 classes with another music teacher. choose a subway station from the complex lockdown: an unheard-of concept. How could From our homes we rapidly re-organised
In August 2018, I arrived in Shanghai as green underground network, based purely on the a city the size of London be ‘locked down’? and set lessons for our classes, using many
as could be, and discovered a bewildering city number of the line or how the place name When Chinese New Year arrived at the end of different online platforms and applications.
of 24 million people! sounded. Up from the underground we would Our 540 students were scattered all over the
20 21NCF4174 Registered Music Teacher Ad 125x188_ƒ.pdf 1 18/09/20 1:27 PM
world, many in small apartments with parents home. The classroom was left empty. My
working from home also. For me, the biggest Chicago co-teacher is stranded in the US and
learning curve was writing lessons that unable to return to Shanghai for the start of the
could be adapted to home-schooling where next year which begins early September. I have
instruments were limited. Lessons became completed my two-year contract but with six
more notation-based and concept-driven than months of it online.
practical. I missed the classroom interactions, Going to China was a crazy idea that paid off:
the buzz and noise of chatter and instruments. when I accepted the job offer back in 2018 I
In late March the school principal and couldn’t have imagined how much I would grow
administration team started to call the staff to enjoy my new life there. Shanghai hummed
back to Shanghai in preparation for the re- with people and activity. I loved the feeling of
opening of the school in April. But at the same being anonymous, riding a train home from
time, China closed its borders, and no one was school at peak hour, the carriages heaving with
going anywhere. Online lessons continued. home-bound travelers, and then there were the
In mid-May the school met the Government’s extraordinary sights such as seeing a man
stringent requirements to re-open, but many lugging two huge pork carcasses while riding C
his motorbike through peak hour traffic! M
families and staff were still outside China
I grew as a teacher too. IB education has a
Y
and online lessons were blended into the
classroom learning. focus on teaching students to think critically CM
and independently. I fully engage with this MY
In June 2020, the school year ended, and I sent
philosophy and want to continue this learning CY
out my last teaching video which included
journey now that I am back in my comfort zone
a goodbye message. That was difficult as
CMY
here in New Zealand.
I wasn’t able to see my students and say
K
Jane Coles BMus LRSM Dip Tch AIRMTNZ is a Wellington music
goodbye face-to-face.
teacher, both in primary classrooms and teaching piano. In
It seems that my tenure was without closure. 2018-2020 she completed a two-year contract with Shanghai
Community International School in China, as music specialist in
My apartment belongings had been hurriedly the Lower School. Jane has an interest in inquiry-based teaching
packed into boxes and are being shipped and learner agency in the classroom.
Championing and promoting the music of New Zealand
Te whakatairanga i ngā pūoro o Aotearoa
Graded chamber music works for strings, piano and woodwind
Repertoire lists for different instruments and skill levels
www.sounz.org.nz
22 23Lessons Online
However, without the advantage of visual opportunity. By going virtual, I was able to
feedback, the only feature that created a sense invite vision-impaired students from far-flung
The lockdown adventures of a music teacher and her of being together in this virtual space was districts to join our programme - students who
unique students ambient background noise. So, with a little had never been able to join before. We even
help from a tech-savvy friend, the students all had a special guest from New York City join us
By Wendy Richards learned how to mute and unmute themselves. for a day.
As I write, Auckland is once again plunged We established a protocol for speaking so When music school returned to campus, we
into lockdown. Admittedly it’s less restrictive everyone knew who was talking and when it were able to keep our long-distance learners
than last time but it still means a shift back to was OK to speak. With multiple people on my with us. We used smart boards to connect with
online teaching and learning. During the first screen, I insisted that devices be placed on our ‘Zoomies’ while we interacted in person.
lockdown, I needed to adjust twice-over as I a solid platform – if not, I ended up feeling Next month we will be joined by another
explored new online technologies and then seasick! But the biggest challenge I faced special guest, a wonderful young musician
adapted strategies further to accommodate was adjusting my teaching expectations to be and ex-student currently living in Norway. I feel
my unique group of students who are all vision- realistic about what I could achieve. confident that we can keep our unique music
impaired. Riding the COVID-rollercoaster Despite some technical glitches I was always community alive regardless of lockdown
pushed my pedagogy into new spaces and met by a group of enthusiastic students eager restrictions and although I’m sure new
reasserted the value of music for all students. to connect through music. One session I challenges will appear, I’m determined to see
As reflective teachers we are constantly noticed a young student leave Zoom early. them as new opportunities. I’ve even booked in
looking for new and innovative ways to develop The following week when we met online for to have my own very first virtual piano lesson!
Wendy Richards
our craft. Although I was familiar with online her lesson, I was surprised to learn she’d Dr Wendy Richards teaches piano and has a keen interest in
teaching (having used it to teach braille with a smile, like the day I heard technical had a panic attack. I later discovered she working with students who have unique learning needs. She
specializes in braille music at Blind and Low Vision Education
music), I hadn’t yet trialed it in an instrumental issues in George’s playing. Curious about this, was lethargic at home, refusing to complete Network NZ and maintains a small private studio at home. She
capacity or with our music school programme. I asked, “How is your wrist moving?” He replied, schoolwork and extremely difficult to motivate. completed a PhD in braille music pedagogy during the recent
George gave me my first experience of “It’s going like this”, unaware that I was still Yet none of these behaviours were on display lockdown.
teaching piano online to a student who is staring at his ceiling! during music activities. Music sparks joy
blind. He uses the voice-over option on his Music school presented quite a different and this experience reminded me just how
iPhone to navigate through his apps and find challenge. How do you maintain a sense important it is for our students’ well-being.
FaceTime. We connected easily but I soon of community with a group of 16 young Lockdown presented challenges for all of us:
discovered that George had no idea where the people and four staff when you can’t meet in add to that the unique challenges inherent with
camera was positioned on his phone: I either person? To shift our programme to an online blindness and you are doubly challenged. While
had a view of his ceiling or his feet! Attempting space meant using technology I hadn’t used most sighted students were simply clicking on
to reposition his phone with verbal prompts myself, let alone the students. It took several a device to enter a Zoom meeting, mine were
only resulted in frustration so we gave up and trials, some good and some not so good, learning how many times they had to swipe left
continued without visuals. For the most part, it before we settled into a happy Zoom rhythm. before voice-over would tell them they were in
worked really well. We established a clear list After the first session I realised I had to stop the right place and it was safe to double tap the
of practice targets each week and I followed muting everyone. I was trying to avoid chaos screen to enter the next window. That said, the
up with a voice memo containing new material. and surely that was where we were headed challenge was well met, and in its place stood
Nevertheless, some challenges were best met unless I had full control of the mute-all button!
24 25Take our online
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Photo: Antonio Diaz
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Learn more/enrol now: learnmusicnz.org.nz/teacher-training
26 27Teacher Refreshment: the perfect brew
I put one philosophy straight into action: that music but he finds his own way around the
learning happens best when you connect piano. We leap into the first few chords - I can
with a student’s prior experience. Taking an see he’s engaged and it’s a challenge he’s up
The IRMTNZ Teacher Education Refresh (TER) course has been running since 2017 and has
interest in and valuing their cultural ‘baskets for. “His attendance may not be great,” my
the support of the Teaching Council of New Zealand (TCANZ) and Music Education New
of knowledge’ is all-important. I saw this years colleague has warned me. But like the man in
Zealand Aotearoa (MENZA). The course is aimed at school-teachers who need to refresh
ago when I tapped into music that students the Countdown ad, and thanks to the IRMTNZ
their practising certificate. Marg Ogilvie reports.
related to at Wellington East Girls’ College. The TER, I feel like saying, “We can help with that!”
popularity of choirs took off and the positive
Marg Ogilvie BMus BA(Hons) LRSM Dip Tchg was a music
energy had schoolwide benefits. and English teacher in a former life, spending eight years at
Wellington East Girls’ College in the 1990s. In 1998 she went
In my new group of budding pianists, one Year off-road, leaving a good career behind to explore the joys of
10 lad writes ‘church songs’ to my introductory accompanying silent film and later presenting, producing and
programming for RNZ Concert over some twenty years. She can
question, “What music do you and your
still be heard occasionally on the airwaves but this year she’s
whānau listen to?” I reach into my own basket revisiting her first love – teaching.
of knowledge and play the opening chords
to the gospel hit, Oh Happy Day. “Do you like
this song?” I ask. His eyes light up. “Yes,” he
Marg Ogilvie
says, “I like the rhythm!” I sense immediately
that we’re on the right track. He doesn’t read
Ngā mihi nui everyone. experienced, thought-provoking input from
At the start of this year the possibility of some Course Coordinator, Wendy Hunt.
piano teaching at a local secondary school One highlight has been the ‘course within
came up. Hm, I thought. School hours appealed a course.’ It’s a TER requirement to do the
and it could be a great way to get back into Open Polytechnic of New Zealand paper:
teaching without the daunting prospect of EDU 702 Creating a Culture for Learning. There
big classes and a full-on classroom teaching are four modules with two assessed essays.
workload. I had a background in piano I got stuck in during the April lockdown and
performance and I’d taught a little privately loved being a fly on the wall of a range of
over the years. Why not give it a go? But after New Zealand schools watching numerous
such a lengthy break from the profession, I videos produced by the likes of the Ministry of
wondered about some sort of refresher course: Education’s enabling e-Learning resource hub.
I hopped online to see what was out there. There were also links to interesting articles
Up popped the IRMTNZ TER, which turned out and websites, all bringing me up to speed
to be the very thing I needed. From the word with the latest educational thinking here
go, it’s been a joy to upskill, get connected, and overseas. The design and delivery of the
contribute and meet good people. Regular course content through the polytechnic portal
video calls mean ideas are bounced around were particularly impressive.
between you and other teachers in the Back at ground zero, I recently met my first
private, secondary or tertiary spheres with batch of students in more than twenty years.
28 29NZCT Chamber Music Contest 2020
IRMTNZ member and Contest regional adjudicator, Chris Greenslade, reports on his experience.
This year it was my pleasure to be one of the
regional adjudicators for the NZCT Chamber
Music Contest. Little did I know what was in
store before the outbreak of COVID-19!
Luckily, thanks to the hard work of Chamber
Music New Zealand (not to mention the
At Otago we make music, we know
students), the contest was able to go ahead,
albeit with a new format. For the preliminary
about music, and we are passionate
stages, the students were required to submit
video recordings of their performances. One of
about helping to grow new musicians.
the challenges for adjudicators was to listen The School of Performing Arts at the University of Otago offers
past sound quality issues to get to the heart papers and degrees in Composition, Classical Performance,
of the performances. Nothing can replace Contemporary Performance, Studio Production and much more.
Chris Greenslade
a live performance both in sound and more
importantly atmosphere, and the new format with the new approach and it was inspiring to
created some challenges for the competitors see these young musicians refuse to let the
as well. lockdown affect their musical experiences.
Although all performances were unedited, And the advantages? From an adjudicator’s
some groups opted for a live recording while point of view, it was nice to be free from time
others chose to record privately, and it was pressure. Often on competition days, time is at
interesting to see the different directions the back of one’s mind when making decisions
groups took. Live recordings can result in and writing what one hopes are helpful
performances that have a certain magic ignited comments for the students to reflect on.
by the presence of an audience. In some ways, Although there was a lot of listening involved,
similar to the usual competition experience, it was nice to be able to spend more time
considering decisions and writing reports.
the live recordings freed the musicians up to Check it out at
Competitions should be a learning experience
say, “the work is done, it all comes down to this otago.ac.nz/performing-arts
for our young musicians and, on this occasion,
performance so let’s just go for it”. A studio or tel 03 479 8885
recording can also be magnificent but comes being able to deliberate over our comments
with the luxury – or curse – of choice, due to hopefully meant they got even more out of it.
the option of multiple takes. Some groups may All practical things aside, the biggest pleasure
have wrestled with tough choices regarding was seeing how many students were willing
which take to submit! Either way, it was great to embrace the new online format. Numbers
to see how wonderfully the groups coped were down a little compared to previous years
HUM-WA0050-0319
30 31but still around 200 groups entered, and many by Ingo Horicht, and I found their innate An overview from Chamber Music New Zealand
wonderful performances were submitted. enthusiasm infectious.
It was a credit not only to the students but Congratulations are due not only to the
also their teachers that despite the setbacks competition organisers who had to adapt as
caused by the COVID-19 lockdown, they put in quickly as possible to this challenging situation,
the rehearsal time and extra recording time to but also to the groups and their teachers
perform the music they clearly love. What a around the country who took the opportunity
Photographer: Jeffrey Wren
pleasure it was to hear so many exceptional to perform despite circumstances. In a music
performances. Ravelation from Wellington world that has spoken for years of a crisis in
gave an outstanding performance of the Ravel terms of audience interest, it is so encouraging
String Quartet in F. Les Apaches were wonderful to see how many young musicians are still
in the Ravel Piano Trio, and I remember a lovely pursuing their love of classical music. New Zealand’s most iconic youth music Wellington quartet Ravelation won the Wallace
performance from Whanganui group, Tri-Nui, competition, the NZCT Chamber Music Foundation Platinum Award for their
Chris Greenslade studied piano with Bruce Greenfield and
who won the best performance of a NZ work Richard Mapp and holds an honours degree in performance Contest, has fostered young musicians and performance of Ravel’s String Quartet in F. The
from Wellington Conservatorium of Music. He subsequently composers for over 50 years. This year’s inaugural Helen Young Diamond Award for
with Christopher Norton’s Piano Trio. The
studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester
Virtuoso String Octet from Wellington gave with Mark Ray. He was the recipient of the RNCM Julius Contest was initially turned upside down due runner-up went to Trio Achilles (Auckland)
an exciting and moving performance of Craig Scholarship and studied chamber music with Dr Christopher to COVID-19, with students unable to access while Jerusalem Clarinet Quartet (Auckland)
Rowland.
Utting’s Suite for String Octet. their school, instruments and fellow musicians won the KBB Award for best wind and/or brass
Chris performs regularly as a soloist and accompanist and has
to prepare. In a time when we were all creating group, the People’s Choice Award and also
The more senior groups were outstanding, but a busy studio of students. He is accompanist for the Civic Choir
in Hamilton and also works with Conductive Education Waikato, a new normal, we decided to reshape the the SOUNZ award for the best performance of
I also enjoyed a group of younger musicians providing music appreciation classes for children with special Contest by moving it online. a New Zealand work.
from Wellington: Quasaza Trio played a work needs.
Just over 200 ensembles rose to the challenge, Rotorua student Zachariah Jans was the
rehearsing their parts separately at home Senior Composition Section winner with his
then working tirelessly when they returned to piece Virtues of a Teenager, scored for baritone,
school to record and submit their online video violin, piano and percussion.
entry. We were thrilled to welcome these young Claire Cowan, the composition adjudicator, said
musicians and our audience back into the “Virtues of a Teenager is a fun set of miniatures,
concert hall for our finals weekend, celebrating with a lot of good thought that went into the
their incredible achievements. performance direction and overall theatricality
Six ensembles were selected to perform live in of the piece. The composer has a flamboyant
the Grand Final at the Michael Fowler Centre. streak that quite beautifully combines humour
The Contest was adjudicated by some of New with drama.”
Zealand’s top musicians and practioners – The National Final gala concert was live
Photographer: Jeffrey Wren
concert pianist, Stephen De Pledge, Amalia streamed to viewers across the world, and
Hall, violinist from Orchestra Wellington Radio New Zealand Concert recorded both the
and the NZ Trio, and Gretchen La Roche, semi-finals and finals concerts.
Chief Executive of Christchurch Symphony
Ravelation, L – R: Enshean Lin (violin), Jack Moyer (cello), Shanita Sungsuwan (viola), Peter Gjelsten (violin) Orchestra.
32 33You can also read
