Perky youngsters turned playwrights, directors and actors charmed their audiences as they participated recently in the annual festival of Creative Voices (CV), an integrated arts project. Nine groups from Gauteng took part in the event, which sought to explore various social themes. Mayibuye Primary Schools musical, titled Fathers Are Not Good With Money, and Making Peace by Khayelihle Primary School stood out.
Mayibuye, in Ivory Park, Ekurhuleni, reflected on a Sibeko family headed by an irresponsible father who spends all his earnings on liquor instead of his childrens schooling. The consequences of a dysfunctional family unit was the theme explored in Khayelihles musical. In this beautifully performed dramatic piece, it is a mother who shirks her role but the ending is positive.
The festival runs over 12 months and involves training teachers in arts and culture so they empower learners who show potential in these areas. The theatrical pieces are used as part of learners summative assessment in arts and culture.
Janet Watts, CVs project manager, said: Many children in South African schools do not receive adequate nurturing of their creative potential. Educators remain under-resourced, lacking the training or know-how to tackle drama, music, dance or visual arts in keeping with the changing curriculum.
Formed in 2001 and operating from the National School of the Arts, CV came into being to change this situation by training and supporting teachers in the creative ways of exploring arts and culture. It is the brainchild of Darryl Jaffray, a director of education and access at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, and is part of an extensive programme of arts education activities implemented in about 20 countries around the world.
Watts said traditional educational teaching methods centre on mathematical and linguistic abilities. But in order for our children to develop at every level and for each one of them to develop their full potential, they need arts education, she said.
David Mathebula, a grade 5 arts and culture teacher at Mayibuye is one of the teachers who benefited from the initiative. He used to battled to teach arts and culture. My classes used to be so boring, my learners would frankly tell me so. This used to frustrate me because I didnt know how to remedy the situation, said Mathebula.
It was not until he got involved with CV that his teaching style started to change for the better. I now feel not only confident in front of my learners, but also creative and spontaneous, he said. This has rubbed off on his learners, who are now showing passion for arts and culture.
His counterpart, Khumbu Manzingana, a grade 6 arts and culture teacher at Khayelihle, also feels empowered. Manzingana, who began attending workshops at CV two years ago, said her teaching always failed to stimulate learners interests in the subjects. What I like about art is that it enables one to express ones feelings. It teaches you how to handle your anger, emotions and, more importantly, how to relate to other people around you, said Manzingana.
CV does not only give hope, it also opens other avenues to learners who do not have an inclination towards mathematics, science or technology.
After attending residential workshops, teachers receive ongoing support and mentoring through regular visits by CVs professional team of artists and theatre education specialists. The course covers two main areas: skills building and playmaking. CV has trained almost 200 schools of about 600 teachers, and has reached a total of 40 000 learners.
It draws its support from an array of benefactors: the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, the National School of the Arts, the Carl and Emily Fuchs Foundation, the FirstRand Foundation and Donald Gordon and the Donald Gordon Foundation.