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12 July 2023 | Story Dr Anchen Froneman | Photo Supplied
Odeion
Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Free State (UFS) will offer two new qualifications, namely the Advanced Diploma in Opera Studies and the Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance from next year.

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

An education system based on hope is what South Africa needs – Dr Beryl Botman
2016-05-26

Description: Hope revised Tags: Hope revised

Dr Beryl Botman, a postdoctoral research
fellow at the IRSJ, with Dr Willy Nel research associate
at the IRSJ and lecturer at the UFS
Faculty of Education.

HOPE is tangible and concrete construct that should be rooted in the learning and training of teachers,” said Dr Beryl Botman, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ).

She presented her research paper Educators, praxis, and hope: A philosophical analysis of post-apartheid teacher education policy, based on the theoretical ideologies of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. She explores ways in which oppression has been justified, and how it has been overcome through a mutual process between the oppressor and the oppressed, drawing on Paolo Freire’s theories and practices. The presentation was held at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Education, on the Bloemfontein campus on 13 May 2016.

From oppression to hope
Hope should be an educational construct for teacher education in South Africa. Dr Botman asserts that epistemology and ontology should be inseparable, as they are pivotal to an education system that is transformational.

The recent country-wide student protests and demonstrations are an indicant that education institutions need to seek understanding of mechanisms that fuel social conflict. Dr Botman claims that vast social inequalities make the process of democratisation difficult thus hindering transformation. She states that a critical consciousness is important for all South Africans, but more so for educators; it can be used as a tool to understanding the mechanisms of social conflict.

“Self-reflection and self-critique is vital for educators, we need to understand that we do not have all the answers because we ever-evolving beings, working on understanding ourselves and the people around us,” said Dr Botman.

The notion of hope
“I am a farmer. I have no hope for a future that is different from today. This quotation comes from Paulo Freire’s work," said Dr Botman. She said that the South African context and environment is similar. She said that people cannot live for today; one should live for tomorrow if hope is to manifest itself.

South African education environment needs to adopt a progressive consciousness that is future orientated, “You need to be hopeful, if you are radical. You need to be able to envision a new society and a new world,” said Dr Botman.

“You cannot only denounce the present, you need to also announce your hopes for a new society. South Africa needs education systems built on understanding. Although change is difficult, it is necessary for transformation,” Dr Botman added.

What makes hope educational?
“Hope is a vision for a tomorrow that is different, and vital for a transformative education system. To get out of a state of despair, people need to educate their hope. Lately, the issue of white privilege has been brought to the fore. You need to educate your hope, so that you understand the reality of others but, more importantly, of yourself,” said Dr Botman.

Dr Botma added that teacher education needs to adopt a Freirean pedagogy with a strong philosophy based on hope. The agency of teachers can either be hopeful or without hope. It is vital that education promotes hope.

“Teachers need to rely on their existential experience, the experiences of others, and the experiences of the children or students they teach. An understanding of all these experience reinforces the idea that people are life-long learners, always learning and adapting to society’s needs,” said Dr Botman.

Teachers as agents of hope
Dr Botman stated that current South African education policy is directed towards transformation but it does not stipulate means to achieve this objective. Further, she argues that educators need to put greater emphasis on self-knowledge, self-reflection, and self-education. Connecting with teachers, parents, students and the community engages with their self-knowledge and reflection.

Reorientation of teacher education
Dr Botman concluded by mentioning that rethinking ontological and epistemological aspects of education is important, and should be a pivotal point of teacher education. A renewed vision of hope-orientated philosophy and pedagogy needs to be adopted by the education institutions. A praxis, which is an informed action, when a balance between theory and practice is achieved. There is a need for an inclusive exploration of education philosophies and education systems not only European and Western but also African and Eastern as well.

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