Date: 31/07/2003
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: Opening of music academy at Orbit College, Rustenburg


SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, MP, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC, Orbit College, Rustenburg Campus, 31 July 2003

MEC for Education, Mr Z Tolo
Rector of Orbit College, Mr Dirk van Noordwyk
Chairperson of the College Council, Mr JC Labuschagne
Officials from the North West Department of Education
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to be here today to open this new Academy of Music, whose aim is to liberate the imagination of our young people. Liberating the imagination is the first crucial step in releasing the creative potential and allowing for the expression of one's culture and values.

Seeing an institution like this one strengthens my belief that students should be given opportunities to pursue their interests and talents. Such institutions expand the possibilities of choice for young people, something we did not have in abundance prior to 1994.

The establishment of this academy forms part of our FET programme to establish specialised schools and colleges. As you know, we already have 102 schools dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of Mathematics, Science and Technology. With careful planning, provinces can develop similar focus schools and colleges. For purposes of curriculum redress, these should be accessible to all our students regardless of socio-economic background.

I am told that the initiative to establish this Academy started with a group of parents led by the current Council chairperson, Mr JC Labuschagne and the Rector, Mr Dirk van Noordwyk. This is an illustration of what Tirisano - working together - between parents and staff can do for an institution. Without such co-operation and partnership, it is difficult to advance the collective interests of a community. That is why I always urge colleges and schools to develop institutional cultures that value co-operation and working for a common purpose.

In today's world we are often told that we have to develop the natural sciences. This is very good, and I support it. However, it this does not mean that we have to ignore the arts. On the contrary, we desperately need to develop, in our young people, the ability to freely and creatively express themselves using their bodies, their hands and their voices. The performing arts like music, drama, and dance are very suited for this. In fact the role of the methods used in the performing arts in developing expressive skills is well recognised in our classrooms, which is why methods derived from the arts, like role-play, are being used increasingly as teaching methods.

But beyond this, music education can be used to provide students with a model for non-coercive teamwork. It is also a vital means through which the values espoused in the Constitution and the Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy can be instilled in young South Africans.

Music is one form of art that has inspired humanity in good and bad times. There is hardly any celebration that takes place without one form of music or the other.

Recently Ms Wendy Lucas-Bull, Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank, spoke passionately about the role of choral music in the moral regeneration of our youth. This is something I would want to echo as the Minister of Education. Music has the extraordinary power to lift people to new heights and to communicate ideas about the self and society in ways that other media cannot do. It is through this power of music that we can honestly question the moral basis of our lives, and to set ourselves on a path of moral regeneration.

Yehudi Menuhin expressed the same sentiment in saying the following:

"Music is the oldest form of expression, older than language or art; it begins with the voice, and with our overwhelming need to reach out to others. In fact, music is to humankind far more than words, for words are abstract symbols, which convey factual meaning. Music touches our feelings more deeply than words and makes us respond with our whole being."

Of course music is not only about pleasure, culture and communication. Music is a very large industry in our country. It makes a great contribution to our economy and to improving the lives of many our people. The Academy we are launching today will hopefully play a significant role in developing the ability of our youth to handle all facets of the music industry. This will keep alive one of the stated goal of the Academy to grow and offer support for the country's music industry.

In this regard, I truly hope that the Academy will help raise awareness about the need to protect the precious musical creations of our musicians. We hope you will teach about the evils of unauthorized reproduction of recordings, which frankly amounts to theft. The Government has done a lot to protect the intellectual property rights of musicians in a bid to rescue them from destitution and exploitation. I hope that this intervention will prevent the sad situation where some of our musicians live and die in poverty despite their extraordinary talents.

You are aware that Music is one of the subjects that will be offered as part of the National Curriculum Statement Grades 10-12. This illustrates the point I raised earlier about the need for the curriculum to accommodate the arts.

There is also much scope for non-instructional activities that will reinforce Music as a formal school subject. Schools and colleges can form choral groups, music bands and even orchestras. These types of activities do not only build pride in and loyalty to a school, but they also encourage teamwork and provide an unparalleled medium for cross-cultural activity through which students may not only learn about one another's different cultural traditions, but respect for them too.

Three weeks ago we saw the most extraordinary talent at the Tirisano Schools Choral Eisteddfod. Schools from all nine provinces gave wonderful renditions of the songs that had been chosen for the competition. The Eisteddfod closed with a majestic rendition of the National Anthem by a combined choir of soloists who had never sung together before. The Eisteddfod is becoming a powerful instrument for promoting racial integration in our education system. It was very pleasing to see African, Coloured, Indian and White students participating in the competition. Of course I would like to see an even greater racial integration next year.

I hope that this Academy will encourage a cross-cultural approach to learning music. You should promote all forms of melodies that are found in our culturally diverse country. There is no reason why choral music, classical music, African traditional music, and boeremusiek cannot form part of a wide spectrum of musical forms promoted and taught in this Academy.

I am told that the Academy offers a course on Kindermusiek, which is meant to teach students about the basics of children's music. This shows a great commitment by the Academy to promoting music from an early age. We need to understand children's music so that we can avoid imposing adults' views of music on young children, which could make young children lose interest in music.

I hope that our young people will use the opportunities provided by the Academy to fulfil their dreams of pursuing careers in music. There is undoubtedly a lot of talent out there, but due to a lack of opportunities some of this talent remains forever hidden. Some of our talented young people are in the most remote and most impoverished areas of our country. This academy is indeed an answer to their aspirations.

In conclusion, I should like to thank the Chairperson of the College Council Mr JC Labuschagne, the Rector Mr Dirk Janse van Noordwyk who both explored the need for an Academy of Music in this College. I have no doubt that the college community is truly 'committed to achieve' - as your motto indicates. I applaud you for your commitment to develop the talents and interests of our young people. My gratitude also goes to the MEC for Education, Mr Zacharia Tolo for providing the college community with the space to innovate.

I thank you

Keitumetse
Ke a leboga

Issued by Ministry of Education
31 August 2003