Loopy Tunes Preschool Music - Workshop for Educators
2026-04-22 08:00 - 2026-04-23 17:00 (Pacific/Auckland)
Greymouth: Wed, 22 Apr, from 1-2.30pm, at Tai Poutini Polytechnic
Darfield: Thu, 23 Apr, from 1-2.30pm, at the Darfield Recreation Centre
Workshop fee is $46 per person (booking fee, optional)
We are excited to offer a workshop for kaiako | educators | musicians | volunteers | children’s music enthusiasts to come along to, to learn more about the mahi that we do, the resources we have to offer (and how we use them in our classes), and more!
The following is what the workshop will include:

A focus on deconstructing the music classes we run
Sharing the different ways we use the bilingual songs that we create
Lots of group discussion, using it as a time to share resources with each other
Some Q&A time towards the end of the workshop
Some “brain food” (aka. light nibbles) to help encourage some good discussons! Please email us directly if you have any food intolerances that we need to consider.
A certificate of completion to add to your professtional development kete!

We are Siu Williams-Lemi and Leah Williams-Partington, a sister music duo, based in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, who specialise in bilingual Māori children’s music, who have been running community preschool music classes for over 15 years. These classes are a HUGE part of our “why” and we are grateful for the opportunity to not only share what we have learned along the way, but to also offer a space to share together with other kaiako in the same field. As with any of our performances, this will be very interactive and we will have you all up and enjoying a kanikani and singalong with us… more than once!
Here is some feedback from previous workshops:
The workshop provided excellent new ideas and served as a great reminder that even small efforts can make a big difference!
Lovely ladies. Inclusive, welcoming, and valuable sharing of ideas. Fabulous waiata – wonderful resourced – it is special that so many children get to hear their own languages and therefore feel seen, heard, included and valued.
Leah and Siu were both so lovely to talk to in person and so down to earth. I got so many great ideas for how to run music sessions with my preschoolers. Thank you so much!
Thanks for being so generous in sharing your music and mahi! Awesome for someone like me who is not so musically gifted but know the importance of it for our tamariki

Music Therapy New Zealand Conference 2026
2026-09-12 00:00 - 2026-09-13 23:59 | Grafton Campus, University of Auckland, 85 Park Road, Auckland, New Zealand
The Music Therapy New Zealand Conference 2026, with the theme Te Poutama Hononga: Weaving Connections, celebrates the art of weaving together people, stories, and music, creating patterns of understanding, and community. The te reo name, gifted by Matua Sonny Niha (University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research) means “the connected journey of achievement and progress”. Each thread represents a unique experience or voice, and through the process of weaving diverse strands, new relationships and meanings emerge.
Guest speakers include:
Katie Pureti (NZRMTh, MMusTher, BMus, ATL) and Jan McConnell (MAAT, DTAA (Prof), ANZACATA, PNZ)
Topic: Mauri Tui Tuia Creative Therapies New Zealand
Dr Waireti Roestenburg (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāpuhi nui- tonu, Dutch, Irish, English) , PhD Psychology
Topic: Taonga Ihi Orooro – Māori Sacred Sound Healing.
For further information, see our website (www.musictherapy.org)
Early bird registrations open on 1 May.
