One of the major challenges we face as South Africans is redefining our identity as a republic. The remains of apartheid have scarred and crippled our understanding of each other. My understanding of Afrikaans culture and its representation in musical scores is limited to my high school Afrikaans literature education. Each musical score that I record into the SAMRO archiving system has a rich story to tell. A portion of our South African musical heritage lies therein. At times, that portion is inspiring. At times it evokes some negative memories. At times it is humorous and eye-opening.
There are benefits in analysing Afrikaans music from a score rather than physically participating in the Afrikaner community and observing their lifestyle from an “insider’s” point of view. The advantage is that a musical score will not prejudge me or mistrust my intentions in wanting to understanding Afrikaans music from an Afrikaner’s perspective. A musical score will not be reluctant to express the creator’s emotions and attitude towards certain issues that he or she values. This endeavour is therapeutic to me because it is helping me in resolving some negative attitudes I had towards the Afrikaans speaking community. This is the beginning of my road to self redefinition
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
MUSIC INDUSTRY BUSINESS EDUCATION
This post is dedicated to Lesley Emanuel’s comment on my blog titled “EDUCATION IN THE ARTS” The question she asked me was very challenging- considering my credentials and having very little knowledge when it comes to the current Music Education system and practice. I will thus reflect on my experience with music education in high school. I cannot speak for the entire arts industry, although I am hoping that my suggestions will be relevant to other arts disciplines as we share the same sentiments when it comes to our ability of complaining about how bad things are :-).
Going back to my high school days, I remember how we were encouraged to do sports as extra-mural activities. There was a school choir that was barely surviving and one practical music teacher who specialised in western classical piano and flute tutoring. There were approximately three students out of a school of about 800 students that took music lessons. After school, one would listen to the rebellious students ciphering their poetic rap songs. Some of us used music and dance to escape from some subjects we felt were so irrelevant to us because we had already decided what we wanted to become in the future. The main problem was that the arts were viewed as undisciplined. Our parents feared that if we became artists, we were guaranteed to become victims of exploitation, depression and drug abuse-if not AIDS victims. That view was not misguided because we always read about musicians who are facing these dilemmas.
I always think to myself that had I not received university education, I would have become the next Lebo Mathosa or Kelly Khumalo. I would have continued to try very hard sounding and looking like Beyonce because she was my role model when I was in high school. She still is for many young girls in my generation. After gaining some insight into marketing and its relation to the arts at Wits, my focus and admiration for these stars was slightly altered. Instead of focusing on their performance and visual stimulation, I began to wonder what it is that makes these super-stars so appealing to people. If I and many other aspiring musicians had a basic understanding of branding, publishing, copyright law and South African music culture from high school, I would have valued the power of music more. I would have probably performed better at school if the mentioned subjects were part of the high school curriculum. I was going to be encouraged and more disciplined not forgetting taking me and my art more seriously.
Going back to my high school days, I remember how we were encouraged to do sports as extra-mural activities. There was a school choir that was barely surviving and one practical music teacher who specialised in western classical piano and flute tutoring. There were approximately three students out of a school of about 800 students that took music lessons. After school, one would listen to the rebellious students ciphering their poetic rap songs. Some of us used music and dance to escape from some subjects we felt were so irrelevant to us because we had already decided what we wanted to become in the future. The main problem was that the arts were viewed as undisciplined. Our parents feared that if we became artists, we were guaranteed to become victims of exploitation, depression and drug abuse-if not AIDS victims. That view was not misguided because we always read about musicians who are facing these dilemmas.
I always think to myself that had I not received university education, I would have become the next Lebo Mathosa or Kelly Khumalo. I would have continued to try very hard sounding and looking like Beyonce because she was my role model when I was in high school. She still is for many young girls in my generation. After gaining some insight into marketing and its relation to the arts at Wits, my focus and admiration for these stars was slightly altered. Instead of focusing on their performance and visual stimulation, I began to wonder what it is that makes these super-stars so appealing to people. If I and many other aspiring musicians had a basic understanding of branding, publishing, copyright law and South African music culture from high school, I would have valued the power of music more. I would have probably performed better at school if the mentioned subjects were part of the high school curriculum. I was going to be encouraged and more disciplined not forgetting taking me and my art more seriously.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
ARE YOU AN INDEGENOUS AFRICAN?
Mr Le Roux, SENAs general manager almost had me chocking on my food when he asked me this question during lunch on Thursday.
As usual, I was sitting quietly at the table among the SENA staff who are my seniors. I become very shy when I’m in the company of people who are much more mature and knowledgeable than I. Back when I was a child, I stayed with my grand-mother, who would chase me and my younger brother away to play in the bedroom- as long as we kept our distance from the lounge where we would not hear any conversations that were considered too serious for children and are meant for adults’ ears only!! As I became older, that was translated as a sign of respect.
Anyways…back to the whole notion of indigenousness…it is a pretty loaded term because people may not interpret it the same way. For simplicity’s sake though, if we were to unpack it from a denotative point of view, my dictionary states that it is about “belonging naturally…of people regarded as the original inhabitants of an area.” My interpretation of this definition- and please correct me if I am missing the point- is that nature isn’t static. From a genetic point of view, I am definitely not an indigenous African because my ancestry, although I would not say that I am such an expert in it, is mixed due to migration. I know that in my mother’s family for instance, there is some European blood. Although my surname is Tswana and my mother's is Zulu. I may be originally from Japan for all I know:-). What I do know is that I was born and raised in South Africa, and brought up to value ubuntu. From a cultural perspective, I would say that I am an indigenous African. What makes me an indigenous African is that I believe that there is so much power in human relationships that can be magical in a state of unity. As an African, I believe that I am just a human being who isn’t exclusive and limited to one area. How does effective synergy prosper when we limit ourselves to indigenous efforts? Steve Covey would say, in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that when one has reached a healthy level of independence, a heightened sense of synergy is achieved in one’s interrelated relationships.
As usual, I was sitting quietly at the table among the SENA staff who are my seniors. I become very shy when I’m in the company of people who are much more mature and knowledgeable than I. Back when I was a child, I stayed with my grand-mother, who would chase me and my younger brother away to play in the bedroom- as long as we kept our distance from the lounge where we would not hear any conversations that were considered too serious for children and are meant for adults’ ears only!! As I became older, that was translated as a sign of respect.
Anyways…back to the whole notion of indigenousness…it is a pretty loaded term because people may not interpret it the same way. For simplicity’s sake though, if we were to unpack it from a denotative point of view, my dictionary states that it is about “belonging naturally…of people regarded as the original inhabitants of an area.” My interpretation of this definition- and please correct me if I am missing the point- is that nature isn’t static. From a genetic point of view, I am definitely not an indigenous African because my ancestry, although I would not say that I am such an expert in it, is mixed due to migration. I know that in my mother’s family for instance, there is some European blood. Although my surname is Tswana and my mother's is Zulu. I may be originally from Japan for all I know:-). What I do know is that I was born and raised in South Africa, and brought up to value ubuntu. From a cultural perspective, I would say that I am an indigenous African. What makes me an indigenous African is that I believe that there is so much power in human relationships that can be magical in a state of unity. As an African, I believe that I am just a human being who isn’t exclusive and limited to one area. How does effective synergy prosper when we limit ourselves to indigenous efforts? Steve Covey would say, in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that when one has reached a healthy level of independence, a heightened sense of synergy is achieved in one’s interrelated relationships.
ARE YOU AN INDEGENOUS AFRICAN?
Mr Le Roux, SENAs general manager almost had me chocking on my food when he asked me this question during lunch on Thursday.
As usual, I was sitting quietly at the table among the SENA staff who are my seniors. I become very shy when I’m in the company of people who are much more mature and knowledgeable than I. Back when I was a child, I stayed with my grand-mother, who would chase me and my younger brother away to play in the bedroom- as long as we kept our distance from the lounge where we would not hear any conversations that were considered too serious for children and are meant for adults’ ears only!! As I became older, that was translated as a sign of respect.
Anyways…back to the whole notion of indigenousness…it is a pretty loaded term because people may not interpret it the same way. For simplicity’s sake though, if we were to unpack it from a denotative point of view, my dictionary states that it is about “belonging naturally…of people regarded as the original inhabitants of an area.” My interpretation of this definition- and please correct me if I am missing the point- is that nature isn’t static. From a genetic point of view, I am definitely not an indigenous African because my ancestry, although I would not say that I am such an expert in itJ, is mixed due to migration. I know that in my mother’s family for instance, there is some European blood. Although my surname is Tswana and my mothers’ is Zulu. I may be originally from Japan for all I knowJ. What I do know is that I was born and raised in South Africa, and brought up to value ubuntu. From a cultural perspective, I would say that I am an indigenous African. What makes me an indigenous African is that I believe that there is so much power in human relationships that can be magical in a state of unity. As an African, I believe that I am just a human being who isn’t exclusive and limited to one area. How does effective synergy prosper when we limit ourselves to indigenous efforts? Steve Covey would say, in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that when one has reached a healthy level of independence, a heightened sense of synergy is achieved in one’s interrelated relationships.
As usual, I was sitting quietly at the table among the SENA staff who are my seniors. I become very shy when I’m in the company of people who are much more mature and knowledgeable than I. Back when I was a child, I stayed with my grand-mother, who would chase me and my younger brother away to play in the bedroom- as long as we kept our distance from the lounge where we would not hear any conversations that were considered too serious for children and are meant for adults’ ears only!! As I became older, that was translated as a sign of respect.
Anyways…back to the whole notion of indigenousness…it is a pretty loaded term because people may not interpret it the same way. For simplicity’s sake though, if we were to unpack it from a denotative point of view, my dictionary states that it is about “belonging naturally…of people regarded as the original inhabitants of an area.” My interpretation of this definition- and please correct me if I am missing the point- is that nature isn’t static. From a genetic point of view, I am definitely not an indigenous African because my ancestry, although I would not say that I am such an expert in itJ, is mixed due to migration. I know that in my mother’s family for instance, there is some European blood. Although my surname is Tswana and my mothers’ is Zulu. I may be originally from Japan for all I knowJ. What I do know is that I was born and raised in South Africa, and brought up to value ubuntu. From a cultural perspective, I would say that I am an indigenous African. What makes me an indigenous African is that I believe that there is so much power in human relationships that can be magical in a state of unity. As an African, I believe that I am just a human being who isn’t exclusive and limited to one area. How does effective synergy prosper when we limit ourselves to indigenous efforts? Steve Covey would say, in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that when one has reached a healthy level of independence, a heightened sense of synergy is achieved in one’s interrelated relationships.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
EDUCATION IN THE ARTS
Yesterday, I accompanied a friend to the Theater and Dance Indaba conference that took place at Museum Africa in Newtown, Johannesburg's cultural precinct. Sibongile Khumalo was the program director for this event. The main speakers were members of organisations such as the Arts and Culture Council, the Department of Arts and Culture and the newly born Business and Arts of South Africa (BASA) NGO. When the speaker from BASA spoke, I was so interested to hear what she had to say, particularly because Anriette Chorn, SAMRO’s music education officer, mentioned that she attended the BASA awards recently. The attendees of the Theatre and Dance Indaba were mainly theatre and dance practitioners whose main concern was the issue of inadequate funding for the arts. There was a question and answer session whereby a discussion around these issues was implemented.
Although it was by default, I’m glad I attended this event because I was able to get a sense of artists’ experiences and concerns at grassroots levels. The main problems that were communicated were the limited budget allocation for the arts by the South African government. Artistic practitioners were also concerned about the supposed inefficiency of synergy between the South African government’s arts and culture policy, its provincial and local arts organisations. Another major concern was the ‘dying’ capacity and ineffective management of community arts projects that are meant to foster nation building and encourage solidarity in communities. I then remember the xenophobic attacks that have scarred our image as South Africans. Could the government perhaps be underestimating the value of the arts and their ability to build and strengthen the character of South Africans? The NGO representatives argued that the onus is upon musicians to take themselves seriously and stop acting like victims.
Although the scarcity of funds is an issue, one of BASA’s objectives is to assist musicians in forming business relationships with the corporate business sector. BASAs concern was that artists hardly sell themselves- probably due to a lack of understanding the marketing skills required. The SETAs were said to be less than useful when it comes to educating artists about their industry. I then wonder why these skills cannot be accumulated from the time we are at high school level. Quality education then becomes an imperative for artists because it challenges our artistic intellectuality and personal discipline. I believe that there should be a stronger implementation of the arts' industry business education in all of South Africa’s public schools. I think that the quality of music we produce will thus be elevated and therefore increase our status as South Africans.
Although it was by default, I’m glad I attended this event because I was able to get a sense of artists’ experiences and concerns at grassroots levels. The main problems that were communicated were the limited budget allocation for the arts by the South African government. Artistic practitioners were also concerned about the supposed inefficiency of synergy between the South African government’s arts and culture policy, its provincial and local arts organisations. Another major concern was the ‘dying’ capacity and ineffective management of community arts projects that are meant to foster nation building and encourage solidarity in communities. I then remember the xenophobic attacks that have scarred our image as South Africans. Could the government perhaps be underestimating the value of the arts and their ability to build and strengthen the character of South Africans? The NGO representatives argued that the onus is upon musicians to take themselves seriously and stop acting like victims.
Although the scarcity of funds is an issue, one of BASA’s objectives is to assist musicians in forming business relationships with the corporate business sector. BASAs concern was that artists hardly sell themselves- probably due to a lack of understanding the marketing skills required. The SETAs were said to be less than useful when it comes to educating artists about their industry. I then wonder why these skills cannot be accumulated from the time we are at high school level. Quality education then becomes an imperative for artists because it challenges our artistic intellectuality and personal discipline. I believe that there should be a stronger implementation of the arts' industry business education in all of South Africa’s public schools. I think that the quality of music we produce will thus be elevated and therefore increase our status as South Africans.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
DREAMS VS REALITY
This past week really questioned and challenged my supposed mission that directs and motivates this little life of mine. I thought about whether my ethnomusicological mission is far fetched and impossible to complete in one lifetime. Meeting Professor Mzilikazi KHUMALO fueled these insecurities even more, especially because his experience of life is exceptionally longer than mine and is professionally focused on one ethnic group.
He spoke about his study of Zulu traditional music and his application of it in the choral music genre. His insight in Zulu traditional music marries the linguistic and musical nature of Zulu music. I became more intimidated by this dream I have of wanting to understand each South African cultural group from an ethnomusicological perspective. I must admit that I am not the most talented when it comes to knowing many languages, although, my abilities lie in analysis and open-mindedness. I believe that having a healthy dosage of curiosity also helps.
Andre le Roux, SENA’s general manager, is the one who kindly introduced Vorster and I to Professor KHUMALO. Mr Le Roux made me realize just how clueless I am when it comes to the South African music business. Archiving also reveals how I am not alone in this predicament. I am beginning to wonder whether this is a “Light Music bug” because most of the people I record in the Light Music archiving system are not published. Perhaps they do not have access to this kind of information. Perhaps they are not looking hard enough. Perhaps they are not reading because Noelene Kotzé, my supervisor, informed me that this knowledge is in the little brochures that one can collect at SAMRO. Although this is a great idea, most up-coming composers I know don’t even know where SAMRO is. As I write this sentence nê, I find myself laughing about this because any negative reactions are guaranteed to tear me apart one way or another. Perhaps I worry about the future too much. Perhaps finding a solution to this communication problem between musicians and SAMRO will resolve any animosity that may arise.
Speaking of animosity, I just read an article on the Music Industry Online magazine about musicians and composers who want to strike against SAMRO’s supposed royalty management rules that composers feel are against their interests. Could this be the result of a communication breakdown or misunderstanding between SAMRO and its members? I would not comment at this early stage until I understand the dynamics at play.
On a slightly different tangent though, Ptolemy Thompkins' book titled "The Book Of Answers" may have inspired a strange dream I had last night- Life is just too short- last night I dreamed that I died. Right now, I just want to live and do all that I can to be happy and contribute to others’ happiness. I really enjoy archiving and I believe that this experience will help me in contributing to others’ happiness-even just a little bit.
He spoke about his study of Zulu traditional music and his application of it in the choral music genre. His insight in Zulu traditional music marries the linguistic and musical nature of Zulu music. I became more intimidated by this dream I have of wanting to understand each South African cultural group from an ethnomusicological perspective. I must admit that I am not the most talented when it comes to knowing many languages, although, my abilities lie in analysis and open-mindedness. I believe that having a healthy dosage of curiosity also helps.
Andre le Roux, SENA’s general manager, is the one who kindly introduced Vorster and I to Professor KHUMALO. Mr Le Roux made me realize just how clueless I am when it comes to the South African music business. Archiving also reveals how I am not alone in this predicament. I am beginning to wonder whether this is a “Light Music bug” because most of the people I record in the Light Music archiving system are not published. Perhaps they do not have access to this kind of information. Perhaps they are not looking hard enough. Perhaps they are not reading because Noelene Kotzé, my supervisor, informed me that this knowledge is in the little brochures that one can collect at SAMRO. Although this is a great idea, most up-coming composers I know don’t even know where SAMRO is. As I write this sentence nê, I find myself laughing about this because any negative reactions are guaranteed to tear me apart one way or another. Perhaps I worry about the future too much. Perhaps finding a solution to this communication problem between musicians and SAMRO will resolve any animosity that may arise.
Speaking of animosity, I just read an article on the Music Industry Online magazine about musicians and composers who want to strike against SAMRO’s supposed royalty management rules that composers feel are against their interests. Could this be the result of a communication breakdown or misunderstanding between SAMRO and its members? I would not comment at this early stage until I understand the dynamics at play.
On a slightly different tangent though, Ptolemy Thompkins' book titled "The Book Of Answers" may have inspired a strange dream I had last night- Life is just too short- last night I dreamed that I died. Right now, I just want to live and do all that I can to be happy and contribute to others’ happiness. I really enjoy archiving and I believe that this experience will help me in contributing to others’ happiness-even just a little bit.
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