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11 February 2018 Photo Supplied
New book establishes link between spirituality and music education
Dr Anchen Froneman and Gerda Pretorius, lecturers from the Odeion School of Music

A recently released book, Spirituality and Music Education: Perspectives from Three Continents, includes the work of two renowned lecturers from the Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State. Both Dr Anchen Froneman and Gerda Pretorius contributed their passion and research to this publication that is described as follows by editor June Boyce-Tillman: “The book aims to provide various perspectives on spirituality and the link thereof to music education.”

Born to communicate musically and spiritually

“I do not attempt to link music with religious experiences,” Pretorius says, “but rather with feelings and experiences of delight, transformation, and aliveness … to name a few.” Her years as a music teacher sparked her interest in parent-infant musical communication. Achieving spirituality in music education is not easily reached, because it requires a complex learning and developmental process, Pretorius explains. “But in infancy, the process happens naturally.” By way of community programmes, she would like to inform parents about the potential benefits of natural music-making processes at home.

“The book aims to provide
various perspectives on spirituality
and the link thereof
to music education.”
—June Boyce-Tillman

How music makes you move

Dr Froneman focuses on the music performers and their experiences. “I researched a context for aesthetic experience and spiritual experiences before I questioned expert musicians about their experiences, especially during chamber music performances. In this context, aesthetic experiences provide meaning to the performer and included feelings like exhilaration, satisfaction and inspiration. Within my research, spiritual experiences are not necessarily related to religion, but rather an experience of an imaginary realm.”

Dr Froneman credits her study of Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis for her interest in the close link between your inner intent (emotions, feelings) and outer manifestations (movement, gestures). “Expert musicians always seem so invested and engaged in the music-making process,” she explains. “My interest is to uncover the nature of experiences during the music-making process, rather than the actual music created.”

News Archive

From lock to SA prop in six months
2017-08-29

 Description: Kwenzo Bloze Tags: Kwenzo Blose, KovsieSport’s, Junior Sportsman of 2016, World Championship, Shimla 

One of the rugby players that Kwenzo Blose looks
up to, is the Cheetah prop Ox Nche. He and Nche
are both residents of the Vishuis men’s residence.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen


If someone told Kwenzo Blose of Glenwood High School that he would scrum as prop for the South African U/20 rugby team at the Junior World Championship, he would probably have thought it was a joke. At that time he still played lock, but only six months after the shift to prop, he represented his country at the tournament in Manchester, England.

Apart from this, KovsieSport’s Junior Sportsman of 2016 – who will probably be playing in his second World Championship this year, only became a Shimla in 2017. Last year he was still playing for the University of the Free State’s Young Guns.

Beast also played lock at first
André Tredoux, former UFS and Cheetah talent scout, said the Springbok prop Beast Mtawarira also played lock and flank at school. “Glenwood competed in the Wildeklawer Super Schools Tournament. Apparently coach André spotted me there and talked to Stephan Jacobs, another UFS coach. At that stage, I still played lock and they told each other that they had to get me to the Free State and convince me to play prop. I knew nothing of these plans,” said Blose.

According to this Paulpietersburg-native, who is 1,87 m tall and weighs 112 kg, he still has a lot to learn at prop. His greatest adjustments were in the scrums. “At prop you have to absorb the pressure of the rest of the pack in order to provide your team with front-foot ball,” he said. He said Jacobs, who was his Young Guns scrum coach, and Daan Human, the Cheetah scrum doctor, has helped him a lot.

An avid student off the field
Even though rugby has opened doors for the loose head who is studying LLB Law, he maintains a good balance. “The main reason why I came to university is to study. To be playing rugby and performing well is a great blessing, but I also have to prioritise and make sure that I obtain my degree.”

This year’s Junior World Championship was from 31 May to 18 June in Tbilisi, Georgia. Last year, the Baby Boks finished in a disappointing fourth place, but Blose believes they can improve on this. “If everything goes according to plan and if some of the guys are playing again, we would have something like nine players who played in the 2016 tournament.”

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