media releases - Music for Life Short Learning Programme

Ever wanted to read music? learn to compose? write for orchestra? learn about South African choral music? Many people in South Africa sing in choirs and know a little about music but have a burning desire to know more: to be able to read music in staff notation, to compose their own songs, to arrange them for orchestra, and to know and understand a much wider repertoire of music.

Unisa has just announced that it has four exciting new part-time courses in music to offer that will fit the bill! They start on 23 July 2008 and continue weekly until November. These are part of a brand new programme called Music for Life: Empowering the Choral Sector, one of Unisa’s many part-time Short Learning Programmes for adults. This particular music programme has been specially designed to help local musicians in the community acquire skills, develop entry points into the South African music industry, excel in performances, and even think about applying to do a music degree. The programme is particularly aimed at the choral sector: people who sing in choirs, conductors, teachers, and composers of all ages.

The courses are taught by experts in the field, and George King, Head of the Department of Visual Art, Art History & Musicology is overseeing the whole programme. Michael Blake, Unisa lecturer and well-known composer will teach “Composition from scratch” and “Arranging and orchestrating music”; Christine Lucia, former Professor of Music at Wits will teach “Staff notation through South African music”, and she and Ludumo Magangane, renowned choral expert and conductor will teach “African choral music in South Africa”.

Classes will take place in the evenings weekly on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and occasionally on Saturday mornings. All classes will be held on the Unisa Sunnyside Campus: the venue will be Oak Square, home of the Department of Visual Art, Art History & Musicology.

The fee for each of the four courses is R1500, which includes face-to-face expert tuition for 18 classes, learning materials, assignment and test marking, final exam assessment, and a Certificate. There are also some partial bursaries on offer for people who cannot afford the entire fee.

You can register for one course only, or for two or three concurrently. If you do not already read music notation it’s best to do this course first, and then when the courses are on offer again next year, do one or more of the other courses.

Registration is already open and will continue until just before classes begin on 23 July. To register please contact Pertunia Mbatha on tel 012-429-6582, or fax 012-429-3556, or e-mail Ukun7@unisa.ac.za and ask for a registration form. Michael Blake can also answer any enquiries: on blakem@unisa.ac.za or tel 012-429-6782.