Creative Voices - Project Schools

creativevoices@artslink.co.za

tel: 27 11 403 7178

Learners are doing it for themselves …

A young conductor!

Creative Voices learners at a workshop in Norway

Crawford Preparatory Pretoria
Poster & Costume Design

A REPORT: Creative Voices' PLAYMAKING SCHOOLS PRODUCTIONS

'Playmaking' is the second part of the Creative Voices programme. (Skillsbuilding is the first - a series of building blocks ultimately to be used in the Playmaking year or, alternatively, to be used as individual craft lessons in Arts and Culture sessions).

Lodirile Primary Grade 7: Creative Voices - The participants

In 2003 thirteen schools completed the Playmaking programme. October is the month for the learners to show off the fruits of their work during the year. The Creative Voices team has the wonderful task of visiting the schools to share these experiences. Here is a taste of what we were exposed to ….

Thirteen schools and twenty-one productions in ten days. What an experience and what an exercise in contrasts: from well-resourced schools with halls and fine acoustics to tiny schools with a classroom in which to tell a big story with only a sheet for the back drop.

But no matter how under-resourced or wealthy: the stories were the thing that caught and held the attention. The plays covered a variety of subjects: but the common denominator was social relevance.

Aids, broken homes, drugs, gangsters, and the battle between good and evil were common themes. Humour was a popular and effective tool - as were pathos and dramatic tension.

Creative Voices' unique methodology was apparent: arias, duets, quartets and orchestras were all present. Overtures and interludes and musical themes and motifs linked the six-point dramatic action together. And everywhere enthusiasm and joy was palpable as educators and learners eagerly described the transforming effect Creative Voices had had on their lives.

The following schools became certified Creative Voices Playmaking schools in 2003.

Parkdale Primary learners watch the Creative Voices production - The Silent Enemy

Arthur Matthews Primary, Maraisburg
Hector Peterson Primary, Dobsonville
Mayibuye Primary, Dobsonville (Silver town)
Senyamo Primary, Meadowlands
Crawford Primary, Benmore
Ikaneng Primary, Diepkloof
Empumalanga Primary, Meadowlands
Parkdale Primary, Eldorado Park
St John Berchman's Primary, Orlando
Lodirile Primary, Dobsonville
Phakamani Primary, Zondi
Crawford Primary, Lonehill
Crawford Preparatory, Pretoria

2001: The Pilot Year

St John Burchman's Primary CV educators receive their Certificates from Creative Voices Drama Course Leader Yvette Hardie

The year 2001 was the pilot year for the project in South Africa. Over five hundred schools were invited to submit applications to be pilot schools for the first year of the project. These applications were processed and five schools were chosen: Bosmont Primary (Bosmont); Fred Clark Primary (Mofolo South); Rishile Primary (Meadowlands); St Ansgar's Combined School (Lanseria) and Tumang Primary (Meadowlands). Three educators from each of these five schools worked with the South African Creative Voices Course Leaders. They received intensive training as well as additional hands-on input from the Course Leaders in the schools. The results were five entirely learner-generated pieces of music drama, which were performed in the respective schools over the period 11 - 16 October 2001. Paul Reeve, Opera Education Manager of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, attended the performances and was hugely impressed by the standard of the work achieved in the short time the project has been running in the country.

2002: Implementation Year 1: PLAYMAKING

After a Creative Voices production

2002 was the first full implementation year. Following the experience gained during the pilot year, the project was restructured in such a way that the Arts and Culture Curriculum for a given year can now be covered in its entirety by following the Creative Voices model. This means that educators in effect not only receive training, but are also provided with a suggested scheme of work for a year, which culminates in the performance of a piece of indigenous music drama. In addition to this, schools were given support material to enable them to fulfil all the requirements of the Arts and Culture learning area, including assessment procedures.

The project schools for 2002 comprised eighteen schools and the performances in October of that year, which were watched by Darryl Jaffray, were once again evidence of the profound impact that the work is making in schools in Gauteng. Almost more moving than the performances themselves are the speeches which invariably follow the shows, in which educators, principals and Department Officials speak of the monumental influence the project has played in the life of the schools concerned, and the individuals who participated.

Parkdale Primary Creative Voices educators with Creative Voices school support officer, Palesa Rampou & Creative Voices Music Course Leader, Mhlanganisi Masoga

2003: Implementation Year 2: SKILLSBUILDING

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the training, ways of expanding the project were sought. One of the ways in which this was done was to increase the number of Course Leaders.

A further innovation was the introduction of a Skillsbuilding component, which better equips inexperienced educators for Playmaking, enabling the project to reach more schools than been possible in the past.

2004:

During this year, Creative Voices took 60 new schools through the Skillsbuilding process and 20 of the 2003 Skillsbuilding schools on to Playmaking. For the first time the Playmaking course was divided into two weekends, the first in February and the second in May. This was found to be very successful and it was decided to continue with this the following year.

The Skillsbuilding and Playmaking processes were thoroughly evaluated at a workshop weekend for all course leaders led by Janet Watts and Caroline Calburn in October 2004. Lessons were added and revised, the efficacy and educational relevance of the course discussed, and plans were set in motion to ensure that the presentation and content remain of an excellent standard. The team worked as a whole, and in their disciplines of speciality, to finalise all adjustments and prepare for 2005. It was decided to introduce a Learners’ Manual, which would assist the educators and learners to meet all the Arts and Culture portfolio requirements set out by the education department. This was completed and introduced in February 2005.

Palesa Rampou with Creative Voices learners at St Berchman's Primary School, Orlando, Soweto

2005:

During this year, four graduates of the National School of the Arts, Johannesburg, were trained as Creative Voices course leaders. This is in keeping with the decision made at the inception of the project to not only train and mentor Arts and Culture educators, but also aspiring young South African artists in the fields of music, art, drama and design in order to help secure their future success in these arenas. They were also incorporated into the school mentoring team which visits the Playmaking schools on a regular basis to offer assistance to the educators and learners during the creation of their first production. Creative Voices now has a team of twenty-five trained Course Leaders.

The Learners’ Manual was very gratefully received, and found to be a very effective teaching aid. Close contact is being maintained with the Gauteng Department of Education and the Arts and Culture district officials in order to offer the educators as much support as possible. This will continue in 2006 when the new curriculum is implemented. The Creative Voices manuals were written and planned according to the requirements of the 2006 curriculum, so our educators are well prepared for the coming changes in the Arts and Culture educational arena.

2005 was a very successful year. The weekends were thoroughly enjoyed by facilitators and educators alike and the learners always benefit from the enthusiasm and energy brought back to their classroom by re-energised Arts and Culture educators!

2006:

In November 2006 we held our first Creative Voices Production Day. A festival of original works by our 2006 Playmaking schools at the National School of the Arts was thoroughly enjoyed by all 500 children who participated and their audience which included parents, educators, guests from the Royal Opera House, London, the British High Commissioner, Mr Paul Boateng and his wife, Janet, many local district officials and education dignitaries, including Mr Malele Petje and representatives of the press. Local celebrities such as Mmabatho Mogomotsi also came to support the children and John Matshakiza, our guest speaker, gave them praise and encouragement. This event was a huge success and will be held again in November 2007.

2007:

We celebrated our Production Day in the Eastern Cape this year, as many of our educators traveled from there to undergo our training. It was a wonderful celebration, which four of our Creative Voices team attended. The schools hosted a very successful event and parents, learners, teachers and government officials expressed their thanks for the opportunity this cultural arts training has given these communities.

2008:

2008 was a busy and fruitful year for Creative Voices. We started off with our Playmaking weekend in January 2008 which was attended by 40 delegates, mostly teachers from the Eastern Cape. These are all teachers who successfully completed the Skillsbuilding course in 2007, and they returned in May 2008 for Playmaking 2. We also enrolled 180 new teachers in our 3 Skillsbuilding courses. These teachers all attended two 3-day workshops with us during 2008.

One of the Skillsbuilding workshops was attended by teachers and district officials from the Eastern Cape. The District Officials are responsible for ensuring that there teachers have the adequate skills required to teach their subject, and it was a very positive development to have them on our course as they can more clearly understand the teachers needs and see where skills training is needed. It empowered both them and the teachers in the districts they manage.