Primary Music Specialist Chat#2: Realistic Whole School Activities.
2020-05-01 12:30 - 13:15 UTC
Join other Primary Music Specialists for an informal video chat on Zoom hosted by the MENZA Digital Kaiārahi, Martin Emo.

The purpose of this chat is to share ideas around realistic whole school activities.

Please bring an idea and a question to share.

These will be collated during the event and shared with participants afterwards on the menza resources page.

The zoom meeting does not have a password, but does have a waiting room. Please join from 9:58am and wait to be admitted.To get the Zoom link, head to the Music Education New Zealand Aotearora Facebook page or email menzadigitalkaiarahi [at] gmail [dot] com.

Ableton Live - An Introduction
2020-05-06 10:00 - 10:45
Join the MENZA Digital Kaiārahi, Martin Emo, for an introduction to Ableton Live.

With a free 90 day fully functioning trial, it’s a great time to jump into using Ableton. If you’ve always wondered why it’s the most-used Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), come along to this introduction.

Access the free trial here https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/

Notes will be collated during the event and shared with participants afterwards on the MENZA resources page.

This will be livestreamed on the MENZA Facebook page.

Itinerant Teachers of Music Chat#2: Questions and Exams
2020-05-07 15:00 - 15:40
Join other Itinerant Teachers of Music for a 30min video chat on Zoom hosted by the MENZA Digital Kaiārahi, Martin Emo, at 3pm on Thursday 7th May.

The purpose of this chat is to follow up the earlier discussion about teaching online. There will also be representatives from NZMEB, St Cecilia and Trinity College to add to our discussion about the implications for exams.

Please bring your questions.

Notes will be collated during the event and shared with participants afterwards on the menza resources page.

The zoom meeting does not have a password, but does have a waiting room. Please join from 2:57pm and wait to be admitted.

Get the Zoom link from the MENZA Facebook page.

Doing what you do....but in a Digital Environment
2020-05-12 10:00 - 10:45
Join Martin Emo, the MENZA Digital Kaiārahi in a workshop on “Doing what you do but in a Digital Environment”
This is focused on producers and performers of music to ECE and Primary-aged kids, especially those that are members of the Kiwi Kids Music Collective NZ.
The workshop will include
– Gaps present in home learning and schools right now.
– What you could do to support music in home learning and schools.
– 5 tips for teaching or performing online.
– How you could break down your show for use by music teachers.
The workshop will conclude with a chance to ask questions.
Notes will be collated during the event and shared with participants afterwards on the MENZA resources page.

The zoom meeting does not have a password, but does have a waiting room. Please join from 9:58am and wait to be admitted.

Get the Zoom link from the MENZA Facebook page.

Bands & Practical ideas for 0-2yrs of Instrument Tuition
2020-05-27 19:00 - 19:45
Do you teach bands or ensembles with students with a beginning knowledge of their instrument? This could be in upper primary, intermediate or lower secondary schools in a classroom or as an extracurricular activity.

The focus of this chat is on sharing ideas, tips and resources that you use to teach students in groups who have a low knowledge of music and their instrument. This could be between 0-2yrs of tuition, or perhaps you are teaching their instrument within the ensemble.

Please also bring your questions!

The zoom meeting does not have a password, but does have a waiting room. Please join from 6:58 pm and wait to be admitted.

Get the Zoom link from the MENZA Facebook page.

Getting audio tracks out of a Digital Audio Workstation
2020-06-03 18:30 - 19:15
Saving, downloading and sharing. You got your students to make a track using a Digital Audio Workstation, but now what do you do with the audio? How do you save it or share it? If you teach NCEA, how do you ensure you can mark it? This workshop is for any teacher and outlines how to save and export the audio (and midi) made in a Digital Audio Workstation. This will include practical examples with Soundtrap and Garageband. Other DAWs can be discussed but there won’t be time to demonstrate all of them. This will be followed by different ways to share these tracks and tips for managing audio track files. This workshop will finish with some considerations of some different uses of individual tracks, as opposed to a full song with all of the tracks combined. As always, bring your questions.
The workshop will be recorded along with the digital handout and will be uploaded to https://menza.co.nz/resource/digital-kaiarahi-resources/
The zoom meeting does not have a password, but does have a waiting room. Please join from 6:25 pm and wait to be admitted

Get the Zoom link from the MENZA Facebook page.

Young recorder virtuoso goes for Baroque
2020-06-22 19:00 | Arts Centre, Christchurch
Young gun musician Lily Doak has earned a soloist spot in two prestigious classical music concerts, where she is keen to show what her favourite instrument, the recorder, can do.
The University of Canterbury (UC)’s School of Music presents Together Again in The Great Hall of the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora on 22 June, the first in the Arts Centre Chamber Series. The Baroque Music Community and Educational Trust of New Zealand presents “Beatles go Baroque” at The Piano Centre on 21 June, with a similar programme.
Doak, a UC Biochemistry and Music (double degree) first-year student, says she has always loved the recorder – an instrument most music students start with but soon leave behind. Yet the humblest of wind instruments has had a revival, claiming back concertos that were originally written for recorder but have been performed on flute for many years.
Serious about the recorder
“I suppose recorder is the first instrument I played, and I have played others since, but it’s the instrument I am most attracted to because of the freedom and expression,” Doak says.
“Other wind instruments seem to have a lot more resistance. I enjoy the style of music written for the recorder, baroque and the modern music that has been written since the revival of the recorder, and new techniques that have been developed. It is crazy and so different, and I want to show people what the recorder is capable of.”
UC Head of Performance Professor Mark Menzies agrees the recorder is a serious proposition.
“The recorder is often considered a school-kid’s instrument, but in fact to play it well at the professional, concert-performance level takes enormous skill and practice. Lily has been an extremely motivated recorder player since she started studies at UC,” Professor Menzies says.
Take Vivaldi’s La Notte, which features on the programme for the upcoming concerts. It was composed for recorder and Doak has been eager to perform it for five years. Now she has the chance and listening to different recordings as she prepared, she found some surprising interpretations, she says.
“La Notte is a journey into the night. A group called Red Priest did a version and they called it ‘the nightmare’ – theirs was as close as baroque gets to heavy metal, they took it to the extreme.”
Doak isn’t taking the heavy metal approach, however audiences are still in for a surprise.
“There are moments of calm and movements where you go crazy and you can’t believe you can play that fast!” she says.
Her other piece is by German composer Georg Philipp Telemann: “It is lighter and explores different musical styles from the French overture to Italian airs; you have to pay attention to the style you are imitating and switch styles within the one piece.”
Time management is key
The talented young musician began studying at UC while still at Burnside High School.
“The two years she spent studying both music and science while also finishing high school studies was a testament to her talent, her ability to connect on a mature musical level, and her delightful musicality,” Professor Menzies says.
Doak has been a national finalist in the New Zealand Chamber Music Competition, a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra, principal clarinet of the Burnside High School Orchestra and student conductor of the Burnside High School Junior Concert Band.
She is a current member of student-founded Seasonings Ensemble at UC. With playing, music and biochemistry to juggle, her time management skills have to be excellent.
“I have a very strict timetable where I plan every second of the day. When I don’t stick to that, things spiral out of control quite quickly. I work better when I am busy, it has made me a lot more passionate about my playing.”
As for a future career, Doak is still working it out, she says.
“I love science and music, so maybe I will become a scientist or maybe I will play baroque music for the rest of my life. I don’t know yet. Right now I am enjoying learning and all the opportunities I have.”
Programme:
Talented musicians, led by UC Music Professor Mark Menzies, will perform Vivaldi Recorder concerto “La Notte” RV 439, Concerto Grosso “Beatles Go Baroque” and other hidden gems of Baroque music.
Recorder – Lily Doak
Violin – Mark Menzies
Cello – Tomas Hurnik
Harpsichord – Daniel Cooper
String ensemble of the University of Canterbury
Event details:
“Beatles go Baroque” – Baroque Music Community is on 21 June at 2pm at The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts. Tickets $30 adult, $20 senior, $10 student, $5 child. Buy tickets here. Door sales also available.
Together Again is on Monday June 22, 7.00pm at The Great Hall, Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora. Tickets $20, $10 concession. Buy tickets here.

MENZA AGM 2020
2020-08-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Dilworth Junior School, 27 Omahu Road, Remuera, Auckland, 1050, New Zealand
Via Zoom or in person.
Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa (MENZA) is having their AGM on the 8th August in Auckland at Dilworth Junior Campus. If you are a new member, it is a great opportunity to hear about what has happened over the last year, and what else MENZA does for music education.
The programme is:
1.00-2.15pm Workshops (note new start time of 1pm for the Ukulele workshop)
2.15-2.30pm Drinks and nibbles
2.30-4.00pm AGM
There are two confirmed workshops:

Maria Winder and the Ukulele Trust – 2020 Kiwileles Songbook play-through
Delysse Glynn – National Moderator for Music

Board nomination forms are available from admin@menza.co.nz, along with the minutes of the previous AGM.
There is an option to attend the secondary workshop and the AGM via Zoom. Email admin@menza.co.nz for the link and password.
If you have any questions please email admin@menza.co.nz, or ask your nearest MENZA board member, found in the listings for your region at the top of the MENZA homepage.
Register now

BODY PERCUSSION and CIRCLE GAMES with Clare McCormack
2020-08-22 14:00 - 15:00
ONLINE ZOOM Saturday 22 August 2pm – 3pm

For Primary level music specialists or general teachers
Zoom on in and get some fun ideas for body percussion and circle games.
Orrf and Kodaly inspired
There will be an opportunity to share one of your favourite circle games too, if you so wish.
Register here to be sent the zoom link prior to the event

WELCOME ON IN with Clare McCormack
2020-08-29 14:00 - 15:00
ONLINE ZOOM NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO SATURDAY 29 AUGUST 2pm – 3pm

For Primary level music specialists or general teachers
Zoom on in and get some fun ideas for welcome songs, name songs and games.
Orff and Kodaly inspired.
There will be an opportunity to share one of your favourite name games too, if you so wish.
Register here to be sent the zoom link prior to the event

Fine Arts Academy: Integrated Fine Arts Learning in a Blended Program
2020-09-03 05:00 - 06:00
Join Jenn and Jamie who will answer your questions about blended learning between music educators and general classroom teachers. Hear about their program the FAe- Fine Arts eCademy, a K-8 blended learning fine arts program where students learn through the arts at school and through a personalized learning program at home. This town hall session will answer your questions about how schoo may look different and way to adapt to the ‘new normal’ of blended learning.

Cancelled - Kodály Aotearoa Professional Development
2020-09-11 - 2020-09-14, 2020-10-02 - 2020-10-10
Cancelled due to Covid’19 restrictions

For further information about the following events, please contact Megan Flint – meganjude@xtra.co.nz
Kodály Music Education are working in conjunction with Project Prima Volta and the Cuskelly College of Music to run these courses in New Zealand.
For those of you who are looking at completing Primary 2, Primary 3 and Secondary 2 courses (for credit or for audit) the dates are as follows:

Friday 11 September and Saturday 12 September (Part 1 – to be held in Christchurch)
followed by 2-10 October (Part 2 – to be held in Hawkes Bay).

We are implementing a new course structure in 2020 which Dr James Cuskelly and I believe will be a very successful model for New Zealand moving forward. In Part 1 (2 days) you will come together, go through all of the cultural materials repertoire, be presented with the conducting materials, choir materials and begin musicianship. You will also make a start on the first lesson plans so that you are ready to begin practicum early in Part 2 of the course. This will give you a head start for preparing materials (e.g. sing and plays, ensembles, conducting etc) prior to the October course. The October course will have four teaching days then one day off followed by another four teaching days – a total of nine days.

If you are enrolling for Primary 3 for credit (not audit), please remember that you will need to have your song file completed and ready for assessment from 2 October. More information to come in 2020.

I am very excited that the Primary 3 course will be offered for the first in New Zealand! Thank you very much to those eligible participants who have been waiting a number of years for this to happen.

We will also be running a Primary 1 course in 2020 so if you have colleagues who you are keen to encourage, the dates for that course are below. There are two locations for Part 1 for those interested in Primary 1.

Sunday 13 / Monday 14 September Christchurch. This two-day course will be offered as taster-days for those keen to find out more. Those who are interested in continuing on to complete an accredited course would then also attend the 2-10 October course in Hawkes Bay.
Saturday 6 June and Sunday 7 June – Auckland. This two-day course will be offered as taster-days for those keen to find out more. Those who are interested in continuing on to complete an accredited course would then also attend the 2-10 October course in Hawkes Bay.

Cancelled - Kodály Aotearoa Professional Development (Taster)
2020-09-11 - 2020-09-14
Cancelled due to Covid’19 restrictions
For futher information about the following events, please contact Megan Flint – meganjude@xtra.co.nz
Kodály Music Education are working in conjunction with Project Prima Volta and the Cuskelly College of Music to run these courses in New Zealand.
The following events in Christchurch are yet to be confirmed due to Covid’19 restrictions, but it could be useful to have in your calendar.
For those of you who are looking at completing Primary 2, Primary 3 and Secondary 2 courses (for credit or for audit) the dates are as follows:

Friday 11 September and Saturday 12 September (Part 1 – to be held in Christchurch)
followed by 2-10 October (Part 2 – to be held in Hawkes Bay).

We are implementing a new course structure in 2020 which Dr James Cuskelly and I believe will be a very successful model for New Zealand moving forward. In Part 1 (2 days) you will come together, go through all of the cultural materials repertoire, be presented with the conducting materials, choir materials and begin musicianship. You will also make a start on the first lesson plans so that you are ready to begin practicum early in Part 2 of the course. This will give you a head start for preparing materials (e.g. sing and plays, ensembles, conducting etc) prior to the October course. The October course will have four teaching days then one day off followed by another four teaching days – a total of nine days.

If you are enrolling for Primary 3 for credit (not audit), please remember that you will need to have your song file completed and ready for assessment from 2 October. More information to come in 2020.

I am very excited that the Primary 3 course will be offered for the first in New Zealand! Thank you very much to those eligible participants who have been waiting a number of years for this to happen.

We will also be running a Primary 1 course in 2020 so if you have colleagues who you are keen to encourage, the dates for that course are below. There are two locations for Part 1 for those interested in Primary 1.

Sunday 13 / Monday 14 September Christchurch. This two-day course will be offered as taster-days for those keen to find out more. Those who are interested in continuing on to complete an accredited course would then also attend the 2-10 October course in Hawkes Bay.

Sing, Say, Dance and Play: Orff Around the World Whangarei 2020
2020-09-14 15:30 - 18:00 | Whangarei Old Library, Rust Ave, Whangarei
This workshop for teachers explores our identity in a variety of ways that can provide motivation for music and movement. Through speaking, singing, moving and playing together we will explore and learn about the Orff approach with an Aotearoa flavour.

Kodály Australia Virtual Summit
2020-09-28 08:30 - 16:00
Join fellow educators throughout the world for a day of inspiring online presentations, practical workshops and engaging discussions led by internationally renowned leaders.
To Sustain the Vision until we can physically meet again in 2022, we have put together a program which includes Keynote Presentations from Dr Árpád Tóth, Dr Anita Collins and Dr László Norbert Nemes along with workshops and Q and A sessions presented by each state as well as live and recorded presentations from our guest choirs.
Full Program Information is here: http://kodalynationalconference.org.au/program/
The cost for the day is $20 for members and $90 for non Members (including 1 year membership) – Bookings are now open here: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=645809&
Remember to pass the word around and help us make this day a wonderful day of connection with colleagues! There is a link here (https://mcusercontent.com/4afd3c18d2748f9307fb48dc1/files/bad89d46-1ddb-4c13-a82d-41b753aaa4a3/Flyer_Virtual_Summit.pdf) to help you promote this as well!

MAHI TAHI - Music Education Symposium
2020-10-01 - 2020-10-02 | University of Waikato, Tauranga Campus, Durham St, Tauranga, New Zealand
MAHI TAHI – Working Together. Music education symposium by the NZ Branch of ANZARME (Australia New Zealand Association for Research in Music Education)

Thanks to everyone who has registered for Mahi Tahi so far! We are very much looking forward to getting together in Tauranga from the 1-2nd October.
The timetable for the symposium is attached and more registrations are welcomed (although no more presentations can be accepted at this stage). If you would like to come along please register at https://forms.gle/Ps7UfpzA5ti3oHLG6
Any questions please get in touch with Sally (sally.bodkin-allen@sit.ac.nz)

Free music therapy webinar: Evaluating how a music therapy service is valued by its community
2020-10-07 19:00 - 20:00
In 2019 the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust was awarded a grant by the NZ Lottery Grants Board to commission an independent evaluation of its services. The evaluation was designed to identify the values and impacts that RMTT services have for its clients, families and outreach partner organisations, and the factors that support and challenge participation in RMTT services.
In this webinar, Adrian Field from evaluation company Dovetail and Jen Ryckaert from Raukatauri discuss the process of the evaluation and its findings. They will share reflections and learnings for both Raukatauri and the wider music therapy profession in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly around public understanding of music therapy and the value of relationships within music therapy and the wider disability community.
Jen Ryckaert is the Clinical and Centre Director of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre, and a practising Registered Music Therapist. During her time as Director, Raukatauri has realised unprecedented growth and currently serves over 500 clients across the lifespan each week in Auckland, Northland and Hawke’s Bay. Jen originally joined the Raukatauri team in 2015, following work as the Music Therapy Clinic Manager and Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor of Music Therapy at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. Jen enjoys being a part of the larger music therapy community in New Zealand and currently serves on the NZ Music Therapy Registration Board.
Adrian Field is the director of Dovetail, an Auckland-based research and evaluation company. Adrian’s work helps organisations uncover the difference they are making, and support positive change in communities and systems. Adrian was trained as a social science researcher and has been evaluating services and programmes for some 20 years. Adrian is an honorary academic at the School of Population Health (University of Auckland) and the national co-convenor of the Aotearoa-New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA).
Registration closes on Monday 5th October, at 5pm

World Singing Day
2020-10-17
Greetings from Scott Johnson, Boulder, Colorado in the US

I wanted to invite your MENZA members to join thousands around the world in singing on World Singing Day (Oct. 17). This annual event that takes place around the world on the third Saturday in October is for everyone — singers and “non-singers” alike — to build community and celebrate our common humanity.

New Zealand is one of the few places on earth right now where people can gather in public to celebrate WSD, but most of the world will most likely not be able to gather in October so this year it will be more of an online, virtual experience.

Here are some things people will be doing on, and before, WSD this year:
https://worldsingingday.org/sing/

I hope MENZA members can join us this year to sing together and celebrate our global family.

Sing together with family and friends on World Singing Day and be a part of something big.
This year’s 9th annual World Singing Day (WSD) global sing-along on the 17th of October will look a little different in most places due to the pandemic this year. It’s going to be a global singing party online. Like New Year’s Eve but with tons of singing!
Here are things you can do on, and before, WSD:

Send us a video for our “Around the World in 80 Songs” global video project by Sept. 12, 2020.
Particiapte in our “To me, a wonderful world looks like…” video/photo project by Oct. 1, 2020.
“Sing it Forward” on the 17th of October 2020 by singing with whomever you live with, wherever you are, and then sharing your short singing videos on social media and tagging friends and challenging them to “sing it forward.” Use the hashtag #worldsingingday.
Sing this year’s WSD Song of the Year “What a Wonderful World” and send us your video.
Sing our simple WSD Theme Song “Till the Whole World Sings” and send us your video.
Click “Going” on the global Facebook event, “I’m singing on WSD 2020.”

If you can gather in person where you live, learn about hosting a sing-along in your area here.

Free Music Therapy Webinar: Musicking and Cultural Identity
2020-10-20 19:30 - 20:30
Keeping Community in Mind: Musicking and Cultural Identity
Have you ever seen a pipa or heard pipa music? The pipa is a four-stringed pear-shaped lute, one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments with over 2000 years of history. Cici will share some of her pipa music and reflect on the relationship between music, culture, identity and wellbeing, and invite you to experience a therapeutic sound-making journey.
The gayageum is a Korean traditional string instrument. Hyunah will introduce this instrument, which is one of the geum family, along with the zheng (China) and the koto (Japan). She will discuss the diasporic identity of Koreans in relation to gayageum performance, with an understanding the meaning of gayageum music to Koreans in Dunedin. This presentation includes a gayageum demonstration.
The presentations will be followed by an opportunity for comments and questions.
Cici Kong was born in Dalian, a beautiful Chinese coastal city where she started her musical journey when she was four, singing in a children’s choir and later learning to play the pipa. She graduated with a Bachelor in Music Performance (Traditional Chinese Instruments) from Xiamen University of China in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, she worked for the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington as a Mandarin language assistant, offering Chinese language classes, music workshops and music classes in schools and communities, and performed in many quality events. Since 2018, she has worked as a Registered Music Therapist, after training at the New Zealand School of Music. Cici is passionate about helping children and adults to reach their potential and to build connections through positive music-making. She has worked with children with special needs at schools and adults with dementia and mental health issues in rest homes and daycare centres. Cici’s music therapy approach is person-centred and strengths-based. Cici loves the positivity when people and music come together, and feels that she now has a better understanding of how to care for them with patience and compassion.
Hyunah Cho is a PhD candidate in music therapy research at the University of Otago. As a Korean Certificated Music Therapist (KCMT), she worked as a music therapist at a Korean psychiatric hospital and a Steiner school in South Korea before coming to New Zealand in 2016. Hyunah is interested in a holistic approach by understanding the cultural context of music therapy. As a New Zealand Registered Music Therapist, Hyunah is providing music therapy sessions in Dunedin while finishing her thesis.
Registration closes on Sunday 18th October, at 5pm

Christchurch Big Band Festival
2020-10-22 12:00 - 2020-10-26 17:00
NZ’s only Big Band Festival kicks off with Junior Jazz Jam, an event for primary school jazz bands, and works through the long weekend with bands of all ages playing outdoor gigs in cool venues around the new Christchurch central city. It also offers workshops, dancing, concerts and surprise events!
Register your big band here www.chchbigbandfest.com

Music Curriculum Design for Deep Learning (Zoom Version)
2020-10-24 13:30 - 17:00
REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM WORKSHOP
In this workshop for secondary school music teachers, the elements of the Curriculum Design Coherence Model (CDC) will be used to design a unit of work.
The CDC model is currently being utilised in a research study in New Zealand and England and is proving very useful in enhancing teachers’ curriculum design knowledge. Teachers will work in groups to design a music topic using the model. The model directs teachers towards a deep understanding to a topic’s ‘epistemic’ structure and how this can be utilised to enable deep learning and appropriate assessment.
A zoom link will be emailed to the address you use in this registration form prior to the day.

AMIS Music Educators' Online Summit
2020-11-02 08:00 - 2020-11-15 17:00
AMIS is pleased to present an online event to support global music educators who are facing an uncertain return to teaching in the autumn of 2020. The Online Summit will be offered in two components:
ASYNCHRONOUS PROGRAM
A library of 80 asynchronous, pre-recorded workshops created by music educators and guest presenters from all over the world. These workshops are available to all registered Summit participants, and can be viewed at any time from any place in the world. Workshops will be categorized according to the following strands:

High School
Middle School
Upper Elementary
Early Years / Kindergarten
General Music
Music Technology
Composition
Curriculum & Instruction
Choral
Band
Strings
IB – PYP, MYP, and DP

SYNCHRONOUS PROGRAM
Live, interactive online weekend gatherings with keynote webinars and opportunities for discussion and Q&A with workshop presenters. All sessions will run from 1pm to 5pm GMT.

Giving Direction 2020 - professional development for choral directors
2020-11-07 10:00 - 17:00 | Hastings Girls’ High School, 508 Pakowhai Road, Frimley, Hastings, New Zealand
The NZCF Association of Choral Directors (ACD) will run a one-day choral conducting workshop on Saturday, 7 November 2020 at Hastings Girls’ High School. Run by ACD Clinician, Brent Stewart, the workshop is part of the ACD’s programme of professional development for choral leaders – with clear benefits flowing on to singers and audiences.
Community and chamber choir directors are warmly invited to attend Giving Direction workshops where they will be given ‘hands-on’ instruction on conducting gesture and other vital aspects of choir direction, as well as the opportunity to take part in a choral forum. This is a great opportunity to hone your choir directing skills and share knowledge or experiences with fellow conductors.
If you are a conductor, we’d really love to see you there.
If you are a singer, please encourage your music director to take part!
About the workshops
The workshops have a very practical focus, and are aimed at all conductors, regardless of experience or type of choir. The workshop will run on Saturday, 7 November from 10am to 5pm at Hastings Girls’ High School 508 Pakowhai Rd, Frimley, Hastings.
Each workshop comprises four sessions, led by Brent Stewart, and with input from our region as to the final format.
Session 1: Rehearsal technique
Session 2: Score preparation
Sessions 3 & 4: Conducting gestures
During the afternoon sessions, local invited choirs will be present as the demonstration choirs, and conductors will have the chance to work with them on the choir’s own repertoire.

Popular Music and Semiotic Analysis - a Method for School Educators
2020-11-13 09:30 - 15:00 | MAINZ
This workshop will provide an easy to understand and apply method to help educators think about popular music analysis.

Classical and Jazz based analytical tools are not broad enough to explore popular music in a holistic manner, which requires consideration of culture and subtext through para-musical elements (e.g. video, image etc), as well as harmony, melody, rhythm, form etc. Semiotic analysis is useful in the study of popular music as it looks at both the sociological and musicological features of any given musical text. I teach semiotic analysis to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Musical Arts degree at MAINZ as a means to understand song and songwriting, and this workshop will be a practical way to look at popular music analysis taking into account denotative and connotative components.
Mark Baynes is a jazz pianist with a contemporary leaning. Mark’s doctoral research has provided an analytical lexicon that can be used to understand music in terms of what is defined as consonance and dissonance found in western music as a whole. Although informed by academia, Mark is primarily a performer, composer and accompanist residing in Auckland, New Zealand. Mark is a presenter of 95bFM’s The Jazz Show, and writes the X-Factory column for NZMusician Magazine.
Mark currently works as a Programme Manager and Senior Lecturer of the Bachelor of Musical Arts Degree at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand / Southern Institute of Technology.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

2020/2021 National Concerto Competition
2020-12-08 10:30 - 2020-12-09 22:00 | The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts, 156 Armagh Street, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
Just a reminder the 2020/2021 National Concerto Competition Preliminaries is beginning on Tuesday 8th December at 10.30 a.m. and going through to 1.00 p.m. on Wednesday 9th December.
Semi-Final is Wednesday 9th December at 7.30 p.m.
Venue is The Piano, 156 Armagh Street, Christchurch
Please see link below for details:
Concerto Update – Reminder – December 2020

2020/2021 National Concerto Competition FINAL
The Final is being held on Saturday 6th March 2021 at the James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Town Hall. The chosen 3 finalists will play their Concertos accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Young. Ticketing and further information will be available from 25th January 2021.

Young Artists Festival - NZ Music Competition
2020-12-11
Piano and Violin Category 2021

The 2021 New Zealand Music Competition is open to piano and violin students in four age groups. Deadline for applications is 11 December 2020. Apply here.
Piano Category:
Competition Date: January 21 – 23, 2021
Competition Venue: Adam Concert Room, New Zealand School of Music, Wellington
​
Violin Category:
Competition Date: January 28 – 31, 2021
Competition Venue: TBC, Christchurch
​
Description of Groups – age on 01 Jan 2021
A: Age: 7 – 8 Max. 5 minutes
B: Age: 9 – 10 Max. 8 minutes
C: Age: 11 – 13 Max. 10 minutes
D: Age: 14 – 18 Max. 12 minutes
​
Prizes:
• 1st prize trophy and $50 for A and B
• 1st prize trophy, and $100 for C and D
• 1st prize winners of each group will be invited to perform at the gala concert
• Each group will have two 2nd prizes with medals, three 3rd prizes with medals, and five commendable prizes with certificates
• Each group will have one prize with certificate and $50 for The Best Performance of a Chinese Work, and one prize with certificate and $50 for The Best Performance of a New Zealand Work
• In addition, all 1st prizes will be supported by one of the arts organisations in New Zealand, details will be announced later
• The actual number of prizes will be determined by the adjudicators depending on the number of applicants
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Repertoire Requirement:
• Free choice of repertoire
• A maximum of 3 pieces
• Choice of repertoire is at the discretion of the competitors (however, we encourage students to perform both New Zealand and Chinese works)
• Once submitted, the repertoire cannot be changed
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Adjudicators:
• Two to three adjudicators per group
• Details of the adjudicators will be announced later
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Other Information:
• Applications will be closed on the 11th of December 2020
• The order of performers will be in alphabetical order by surname
• The decision of the adjudicators is final
• The organisers reserve the right to make any changes to the event if necessary
• Rights to any competition performance, whether broadcast, televised or recorded, belong to the competition, and no fee is payable for any transmissions, recordings or broadcasts of them
• The organisers will not accept any responsibility for any accident, loss or injury, which may occur to any competitor or to his/her property whether arising out of negligence or otherwise at any time in relation to the competition.
• In the event of fewer than 5 entries being received for the age group, the organisers reserve the right to cancel the competition for that group and change the format to non-competitive performance

2020 NZ Jazz Workshops
2020-12-14 08:00 - 2020-12-18 17:00 | Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
LIVE AND IN PERSON!
Coordinated by Rodger Fox and Dave Lisik.
The New Zealand National Jazz Workshops bring New Zealand’s enthusiastic jazz students together with NZ’s best jazz musicians and educators, working on instrumental techniques, improvisation, ensemble skills, jazz theory, listening and performances. Students 19 and under with at least one year of experience on an instrument are encouraged to attend.

Online Kodály Summer School Music Program
2021-01-11 08:00 - 2021-01-15 17:00
PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Earlier this year, we announced that the Summer School Music Program would be going ahead in January 2021 and we have remained optimistic that we would be able to come together for our yearly gathering of learning, music making and networking.

However, the course of the pandemic is unpredictable and in this uncertain climate it is necessary that we cancel any plans for a face-to-face Summer School. The ever-present threat of infection, restrictions on gathering, health advice about singing and playing, ongoing border closures, travel restrictions and quarantine periods means that it is not possible to guarantee the viability of our usual program. The safety of our staff and participants is our priority and it is essential that we do all we can to assist in minimising the spread of the virus.

The good news is that we are in the process of finalising our plans for a week of online sessions that you can see from the comfort of your own home or studio. There will be a dedicated pedagogy stream for classroom educators, choral conductors, and instrumental and studio teachers as well as an additional stream for performers – pianists, instrumentalists and singers.

We will have many of our usual presenters involved but the flexibility of an online program allows us to include new faces and ideas with an expanded range of national and international presenters. This program will provide a chance to reflect on our teaching practice, expand our thinking and meet with colleagues from all over Australia and the world!

The program will have a morning block of sessions from 8:30 – 12:30 (30 minutes break between each session) and an evening block from 16:00 – 20:00 (again with 30 minutes between each session). This means that we can include an extensive line-up of international presenters from a range of time zones and happily there is a long break for a swim, a long lunch or a siesta!

Details on the scope of this program will be available soon but in the meantime, make sure you’re following our Facebook page for any further updates. To be added to our mailing list, please email office@cuskellymusic.com.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in the the Online Summer School Music Program from January 11th – 15th!

James, Michael and Hayley

– The Cuskelly College of Music team

The International Akaroa Music Festival
2021-01-12 - 2021-01-15 | UC Arts City Campus at the Arts Centre, 3 Hereford Street, Christchurch, Canterbury, 8013, New Zealand
Masterclasses, Summer School & Concerts
Proudly brought to you by The Pettman National Junior Academy of Music

Now celebrating its fourteenth anniversary, the Akaroa Music Festival is New Zealand’s premiere residential music school. An array of distinguished international musicians provides lessons, masterclasses and concerts against the breathtaking backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful seaside towns.

These intensive days of music making also include solo performances, chamber music and a string orchestra, all designed to engage and inspire advanced young musicians. Students are invited to apply on the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, recorder, flute, clarinet, bassoon, harpsichord and piano.

If you have never experienced an extended live-in music festival, be prepared to work hard, have fun, and play better than you thought you could. Our students come from all over New Zealand and from abroad, and the friendships made here are ones that last. Mix work with and pleasure in Akaroa, the gem at the heart of the remarkable Banks Peninsula
