Ka tiritiria, ka poupoua - Sharing the love

As well as the sound garden project and my own teaching at the kura, I have made time this year to deliver professional development workshops for kaiako in other kura. One of my goals as a music teacher is to share the Orff approach to music and dance education with other teachers, particularly my own people so that more of our tamariki are able to access this beautiful way of exploring and connecting with music, and the benefits that come from it. It's a bit of extra work, but it has been neat to bring other teachers on board.

A networking hui at the kura

The first workshop was for kaiako from kura and schools around Wellington. There was a big storm that afternoon and just a handful came - 3 from the bilingual unit at Otari School, and 3 from Te Kura Māori o Porirua. We had a great time nevertheless, sharing musical conversations, making up moves using tī rākau (stick games) and jamming on the taonga.

The second workshop was in Otaki at Te Rito Kura Kaupapa Māori, and despite heavy rain (another storm!) 12 kaiako from 4 different kura made it, from as far away as Te Papaioea. It was wonderful to have participants from a range of contexts coming together to learn and share, and we had a lot of laughs along the way. Despite the torrential conditions everyone helped to unload and load up all the different taonga I fitted into my car - it felt like half the sound garden! 
Ngā mihi aroha ki a Whaea Hēni mō tōna manaakitanga. 

Having a jam at a networking hui in term 1

As well as workshops for kaiako Māori (including our own staff), I've organised a couple of networking hui for local music teachers. Being a specialist is a wonderful job where I get to teach what I love, but it can be quite isolating, as I don't see other staff much. The hui were a chance to build connections with other teachers and establish some professional support, and I met some interesting people. Hopefully this waka will gain more momentum in the future.

Next month the Wellington Orff level 1 training starts, and I'm pleased to say that two of those kaiako from Otari School have decided to take on this opportunity to do the course and take the approach into their own classrooms, which is brilliant! I will be supporting them by delivering aspects of the training in te reo Māori, and sharing material that fits our context, so they won't have to develop all their own resources from scratch (or translate things), as I have often done. It will be wonderful having other kaiako Māori on board the Orff journey, and I look forward to the opportunities this will create. 

Tihe mouri puoro!

 Working with kaiako from Otari School during the Orff level 1 training

Click here to see more recent posts:

- the last stencils going on the instruments

- a thrilling last instrument addition

and more exciting updates as we move toward completion!