St Peter's Prep School music teachers' conference

May 2010 - Director of the St Peter's Prep School of Music, Vaughan van Zyl and Performance & Events Manager Hugo Roodt, recently initiated a Prep School Music Teachers' Conference, an annual platform to promote the importance and relevance of music in schools' curriculum and create a networking forum among musical colleagues.

The inaugural conference was hosted by St Peter's Prep School at their school grounds in Witkoppen Road, during the weekend of 15 May with over ninety participants all of whom were music teachers or directors from preparatory and high schools throughout South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Swaziland.

St Peter's Prep School also sponsored four attendees from nearby Diepsloot Combined School and Vuleka School who benefited from the support, enthusiasm and knowledge of like-minded musicians.

The conference was opened by the Rector of St Peter's Prep School, Greg Royce and was followed by a line-up of high profile speakers who shared a wealth of knowledge and experience with practical ideas. Ronel Henning, former accompanist and marketing director at the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School and Sue Cock, musician and wife of former Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra and Conductor, Richard Cock were among the guest speakers.

Christian Ashley-Botha, former Director of Music at the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School took time out to do some practical skills with the performing St Peters' Prep Chamber Choir and commented that it was a very successful conference and that St Peter's Prep will have to repeat sooner rather than later due to the demand. According to Ashley-Botha, one of the most important elements of the conference was the networking of junior school music teachers throughout the country enabling them to support one another in the future rather than working in isolation.

Comments Van Zyl, "after the resounding success of our first conference, we are set to make this conference an annual event and we hope to get more music departments from different schools to participate. It is wonderful to get together with music teachers with the same passion and dedication to share ideas, experiences and expertise. We look forward to the next Prep School Music Teachers Conference which will take place during 2011 and we trust that this conference will grow from strength to strength.