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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

SRC and Faculty of Law to re-open Student Court
2015-03-19

Front, from the left: Matshediso Tladi, Tumelo Lekhanya, Palesa Mafisa, Gabriel Dzeha, and;
Back, from the left: Emmanuel Mashele, Johnny Davis, Shelton Mellentze and Marvin Odendaal

The Student Representative Council, together with the Faculty of Law and the Department of Student Affairs, has re-established the Student Court. This body will operate as a student administrative organ of the university, exercising its disciplinary powers as assigned to it in terms of its constitution and institutional delegations.

The Student Court is an independent body that will exercise its legal powers impartially with the aim of establishing a student community and a student governance culture committed to justice, equity, and accountability. The Court will decide on matters between students, student associations, or any part of the student body at the student level.

Newly-appointed judges and clerks are currently undergoing training in preparation for the court sessions which will begin in the second semester of 2015.  The student court judges for this year are as follow:

  • Palesa Mafisa
  • Gabriela Dzeha
  • Marvin Odendaal
  • Emmanuel Mashele
  • Johnny Davis
  • Shelton Mellentze
  • MatshedisoTladi

The student court clerk is Tumelo Lekhanya.

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