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The Odeion School of Music launches two new qualifications

12 July 2023 | Story Dr Anchen Froneman | Photo Supplied

Over the past decade, the Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Free State (UFS) has been active in designing new qualifications and restructuring current offerings. The OSM introduced the Higher Certificate in Music Performance (in 2017) and a restructured Diploma in Music in 2018 to admit students without the necessary admission requirements for degree studies and develop the necessary skills in that regard. The purpose of these qualifications was to promote inclusivity in providing access to tertiary studies to students who developed musical skills at a more mature age for the first time.

From next year, OSM will offer two new qualifications, namely the Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies and the Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance. Applications are currently open and will close on 30 September. Classes will commence in February 2024.

Dr Anchen Froneman, Programme Director and Senior Lecturer at OSM, says since the commencement of the Higher Certificate in Music Performance (in 2017) and the restructured Diploma in Music, the student intake included a high number of talented vocalists or late-developing instrumentalists. Many students in these programmes were already in their 20s, but through these programmes could develop their inherent talents and passions. Upon finishing the Diploma in Music, the students could then enter a degree qualification in music studies.

“However, the degree programmes are academically oriented while the Higher Certificate in Music Performance and Diploma in Music are vocational in nature. This disjunction led to the design of the Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies to provide a programme through which the students can access a NQF 7 level qualification in a shorter time than the current existing route through the degree programmes that requires another three or four years of study,” says Dr Froneman.

The Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies

According to her, the Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies aims to prepare students completing the Diploma of Music for professional practice within a single academic year. This specialisation option attempts to enable students with the skillset to partake in Opera productions both locally and internationally as well as to develop an understanding of operatic activities within local communities and specifically to continuously develop young talent for future operatic careers. The modules in the programme include Performance Studies, Vocal Ensemble, Stage Craft and Language for Singers. To serve the teaching duties which are often carried out simultaneously with an operatic career, the modules of Repertoire and Method and Keyboard Skills are included. The Arts Management module serves the management of a professional opera and/or teaching career. The Introduction to Research Skills develops research and academic writing skills in view of possible further postgraduate studies.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance

The Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance, explains Dr Froneman, is a one-year qualification but has dual aims. Firstly, the programme will add to the offerings of the UFS that aims to widen access to tertiary education, especially considering the linear progression within vertical articulation possibilities from the Higher Certificate in Music Performance to the Diploma in Music, followed by the Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies that can eventually lead to the PGDip (Music Performance). Secondly, this qualification is partly directed at individuals with active careers in the music industry (both public and private sectors) who wish to advance performance skills and research ability. The qualification is designed to make a positive contribution towards expanding existing career opportunities for individuals completing the qualification.

The ability to present two public concerts of high quality as a soloist or chamber musician will be developed using two recital modules. The Main Recital comprises of an approved programme 35 to 45 minutes (for vocalists and brass instruments) or 60 to 70 minutes (for all other instruments) as well as a Short Recital comprising an approved programme approximately 20 minutes (for vocalists and brass instruments) or 30 minutes (for all other instruments). Performance experts oversee and guide the preparation for these public concerts. The Viva Voce module will develop and evaluate a student’s ability to critically reflect upon and discuss musical works presented during the Main Recital.

The expert musician supervising the recital modules oversees this process in which understanding is fostered through practical experience, research, and application. The Structure Research Essay develops the student’s ability to contribute to performance-related scholarship by applying appropriate research methods and writing skills to reflect upon performance practices in, amongst others, historical, analytical, cultural, social or pedagogical aspects.

For more information on these qualifications and applications, please contact:

Dr Anchen Froneman

Programme Director and Senior Lecturer: Odeion School of Music

Faculty: The Humanities

+27 51 401 2526

News Archive

To tan or not to tan: a burning issue

2009-12-08

Prof. Werner Sinclair

“Some evidence exists which implies that sunscreens could indeed be responsible for the dramatic rise in the incidence of melanoma over the past three decades, the period during which the use of sunscreens became very popular,” says Prof. Werner Sinclair, Head of the Department of Dermatology at the University of the Free State. His inaugural lecture was on the topic Sunscreens – Curse or Blessing?

Prof. Sinclair says the use of sunscreen preparations is widely advocated as a measure to prevent acute sunburn, chronic sun damage and resultant premature skin aging as well as skin malignancies, including malignant melanoma. There is inconclusive evidence to prove that these preparations do indeed achieve all of these claims. The question is whether these preparations are doing more harm than good?

He says the incidence of skin cancer is rising dramatically and these tumours are induced mostly by the ultra-violet rays.

Of the UV light that reaches the earth 90-95% belongs to the UVA fraction. UVC is normally filtered out by the ozone layer. UVB leads to sunburn while UVA leads to pigmentation (tanning). Because frequent sunburn was often associated with skin cancer, UVB was assumed, naively, to be the culprit, he says.

Exposure to sunlight induces a sense of well-being, increases the libido, reduces appetite and induces the synthesis of large amounts of vitamin D, an essential nutritional factor. The use of sunscreen creams reduces vitamin D levels and low levels of vitamin D have been associated with breast and colon cancer. Prof. Sinclair says the 17% increase in breast cancer from 1981 to 1991 parallels the vigorous use of sunscreens over the same period.

Among the risk factors for the development of tumours are a family history, tendency to freckle, more than three episodes of severe sunburn during childhood, and the use of artificial UV light tanning booths. He says it remains a question whether to tan or not. It was earlier believed that the main carcinogenic rays were UVB and that UVA merely induced a tan. The increase in UVA exposure could have severe consequences.

Prof. Sinclair says the UV light used in artificial tanning booths consists mainly of pure UVA which are highly dangerous rays. It has been estimated that six per cent of all melanoma deaths in the UK can be directly attributed to the use of artificial tanning lights. The use of an artificial tanning booth will double the melanoma risk of a person. “UVA is solely responsible for solar skin aging and it is ironical that tanning addicts, who want to look beautiful, are inflicting accelerated ageing in the process,” he says.

On the use of sunscreens he says it can prevent painful sunburn, but UVA-induced damage continues unnoticed. UVB blockers decrease vitamin D synthesis, which is a particular problem in the elderly. It also prevents the sunburn warning and therefore increases the UVA dosage that an individual receives. It creates a false sense of security which is the biggest problem associated with sunscreens.

Evidence obtained from the state of Queensland in Australia, where the heaviest and longest use of sunscreens occurred, boasted the highest incidence of melanoma in the world. A huge study in Norway has shown a 350% increase in melanoma for men and 440% for women. This paralleled the increase in the use of UVB blocking sunscreens while there was no change in the ozone layer. It did however, occur during that time when tanning became fashionable in Norway and there was an increase especially in artificial tanning.

Prof. Sinclair says: “We believe that sunscreen use does not directly lead to melanoma, but UVA exposure does. The Melanoma Epidemic is a reality. Sunscreen preparations are not the magical answer in the fight against melanoma and the irresponsible use of these preparations can worsen the problem.”

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
7 December 2009

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