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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

Beyers Naudé challenge still stands – Dr Allan Boesak
2011-09-14

 

Dineo Babili, a first-year Foundation-phase Education student, reading out her winning essay during the final Beyers Naudé Memorial Lecture held last Friday. Dineo and Siphesihle Mavundla (poetry) both won R3 000,00 each from Kagiso Trust.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

The eighth Annual Beyers Naudé Memorial Lecture Series reached its climax with the third and last lecture being presented by Dr Allan Boesak at our Qwaqwa Campus on Friday, 9 September 2011. The first two lectures were presented by our Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, and Prof. Kwandiwe Kondlo who heads our Centre for Africa Studies, respectively.

In his address, Dr Boesak posed hard-hitting questions, such as ‘'What kind of society do we want to be? At what price are we willing to sell the noble history of the struggle, the ideals and hopes of our people, the meaning of the freedom we sacrificed for?'’ He spoke fondly of his former friend and colleague who had appealed to the government of the day in 1973 to understand that the future security of our country did not lie with a consensus of white opinion, but rather ‘'a consensus of white and black opinion'’.

Dr Boesak said that Oom Bey had asked white people ‘to speak and act before it was too late’ and that he appealed to black people to prepare for the day on which they would be truly free.

‘'That was his hope. When he died, democracy had come, but this hope had not been realised and today we are in serious danger of losing it altogether. We have the matchless Freedom Charter; we have a most progressive Constitution; we have an impressive body of laws and we have enviable policy positions. However, the challenge from Beyers Naudé still stands and it comes to a new generation: it is time to transform words into deeds. The time for pious talk is over,'’ said Dr Boesak.

The lecture was well received by students and staff, as well as leaders and representatives from various sectors in the community. Learners and educators from a number of schools in the region also attended. Next year’s series will be hosted on the South Campus in Bloemfontein.
 

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