Choirs to Improve English Literacy of SA Children

A debt of gratitude to every donor who continues to make this project possible. It is through your generosity that I am able to be a part of this project , and for the Isiphethu Sothukela  Legacy Project to continue leaving its significant footprint across around the beautiful Drakensberg. There was much excitement amongst the learners and schools when the  school choir and song program was introduced earlier this year. At many of the schools, halls were packed with chorister hopefuls to try their luck at auditions. The learners love having a choir at their schools. They always show up to choir practice, full of keen anticipation.

As the choirs continue to improve and establish a choral culture at their schools, they will be encouraged to prepare for entry into the ABRSM Initial Choral examination next year, while their conductors continue to receive training at the quarterly Music Teacher Empowerment workshops. Our seven schools in the Berg this year are all primary schools and  include Sifisosethu, New Cannan, Bhekuzulu, Emadolobheni, Inkosi Mjwayeli, Celimfundo and Meadowsweet. We take music to these most rural parts of South Africa, involving travel through sometimes tough terrain. But..... music education is not only for those who can afford it, or  even for those who value it, who make time for it, or who know it can be the difference between a positive education or a negative one. Music education is for everyone.

Our quarterly Music Teacher Empowerment workshop last term  was a great success and an important learning opportunity for the teachers, as visitors to the Drakensberg Boys Choir School. An extension of gratitude to the Head of Music Vaughan  and his deputy, Liza  on the great work they continue to do with these workshops. I have witnessed the teachers use of the knowledge gained from the workshops and watched them grow in leaps and bounds on the path towards becoming choral conductors and leaders in their  respective schools. From being timid and unsure of what is required to run a choir, the teachers today have the skills and confidence to stand in front of their choirs and conduct a song.

The Child Safeguarding Workshops for Principal Leadership Development, continue to be centered around the subject of Food Security and Nutrition. They are held quarterly and are facilitated by Grant  and Bongekile of Masivuselele. Our deepest gratitude to RISE UP, a recently established Non Profit Company in the Champagne Valley for providing a wonderful venue and catering in the beautifully renovated Champagne Valley Trust's school hall for our recent workshop.

In addition, we are also researching the co-learning process of agriculture and song with the Institute of Natural Resources (INR). Together with the INR team we have visited each school to introduce the learners to tower gardens. This is happening under the UKRI Transforming Education for a Sustainable Future(TESF) program.  This exciting project involves the planting of tower gardens in each school and the learners are thoroughly enjoying  getting their hands dirty.

Once again, our deepest appreciation for your gifts of kindness!!!

• 2022 Schools and Songs Drakensberg (DOCX)
• Example ...Choir Conductor Timesheet (XLSX)
• Nissan Bakkie Mileages 2022 (XLSX)
• SOS Sheet Music (PDF)
  

2022 has happily greeted us with an air of positivity. Deep gratitude to YOU,  our wonderful donors who have carried us through the darker days of social distancing, no singing and a crippled economy.  We believe we have seen the back of the COVID pandemic, children have returned to full classrooms at school and the Isiphethu Sothukela Legacy Project has a new choral conductor in the lead role! Welcome to Mbali … an impressive young teacher and choral conductor, with a law degree and currently completing her third degree in Child Psychology. Together with Charlotte and Gill, we commenced the first choir sessions in each school this week.

We ended 2021 on a high note (excuse the pun!) after a wonderfully successful Siyacula Festival at the Drakensberg Boys Choir School on the 28^th October 2021. Four of our school choirs elevated the execution of their repertoire suitably on the day for an audience performance individually, followed by a mass item with the Drakensberg Boys Choir School. We are indebted to the DBCS for transporting Emadolhobeni, and to the DOE for funding buses to transport Sifisosethu and Nkosi Mjwayeli, while PSI Projects (using GlobalGiving donations)  secured private taxi operators to safely deliver the Celimfundochoir to and from the venue.

In spite of the challenges of the year, the standard of the choirs’ performances was nonetheless most pleasing. It was wonderful to observe the children’s pleasure in watching each other across the auditorium as they sang together… a requirement to ensure that DBCS choir itself could safely depart on a Namibian tour the very next day! The day was dedicated to the late wonderful Bill, a pioneer of the program, while we sadly wished Judith well on her way as she departs from the operational aspects of this project. Judith continues as a consultant rather than the active vocal and conductor lead she has occupied in the project for the previous 3 years. We celebrated her achievements with the respective choirs in style, as the visiting choristers and their teacher-conductors enjoyed 2 full meals and a take-away bag of treats on the day!

The highlight of the year-end was the selection of one chorister as a recipient of the Champagne Valley Trust Scholarship to attend the Drakensberg Boys Choir School for the coming 5 years. Our grateful thanks to an anonymous donor for this massive award! As the proud and deserving recipient of this award, Sandiswa, originally from Nkosi Mjwayeli  Primary, has happily assumed his first weeks at boarding school. As a required skill, Sandiswa learned to swim during the holidays, kindly coached and kitted out by a most generous swimming coach . PSI Projects provided transport until we bade farewell to our amazing admin and financial whizz, Precious, who emigrated to the UK.

It would be remiss of me to fail to thank each and every donor who continues to make this project possible. We have seven schools participating in the project this year, thanks to your generosity! We are encouraging five of these schools to prepare for entry into the ABRSM Initial Choral examination later this year, while their conductors continue to receive training at the quarterly Music teacher empowerment workshops. The Child Safeguarding Workshops for Principal Leadership Development, again co-funded by the Michaelhouse Community Partnership, commence around the topical subject of Food Security and Nutrition on coming Saturday, 12 February, facilitated again by the inspiring Grant  and Bongekile of Masivuselele.  

We will also be researching the co-learning process of agriculture and song with the (UKZN)University of KwazuluNatal’s  Institute of Natural Resources (INR),  in these five schools. We visited each school to introduce some of the INR team …Jon and Brigid, with appreciation.  This is happening under the UKRI  Transforming Education  for a Sustainable Future(TESF) program, with supportive funds flowing via Bristol University, UK  and  Rhodes University, locally. The research proposal is attached. This exciting project involves the planting of tower gardens in each school, as illustrated in one of the attached documents. These are to be showcased to the local community of parents and vendors around each school in a choral-agricultural festival towards the end of 2022, particularly to demonstrate the ability to produce food with locally available resources in every local household, while using recycled grey water and taking up very little space.  Thank you again to all involved in this wonderful project!!

• ABRSM Choral Singing Exam Syllabus (DOCX)
• EXAMPLE Tower Gardens UKZN Research Project (DOCX)
• Child Safeguarding Report (XLSX)
• INR UKZN proposal (DOCX)