Amina Carini is our full-time music teacher. She teaches music from Grade 0 to Grade 12. Mrs. Carini graduated from U.C.T. with a Bachelor of Music Degree and the H.D.E. (higher diploma in education) in 1981.
She studied piano performance with Lily Savitz and Neil Solomon, piano accompaniment with Thomas Rajna and voice with Aviva Pelham. She has been a member of U.C.T.’s opera school and sang in their opera chorus.
She has also sung in the NAPAC opera chorus in productions liks Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’, Grieg’s ‘Peer Gynt’, Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and Leoncavallo’s ‘I Pagliacci’.
She has had quite a varied career in that she has not only taught at both primary and high schools, but has also lectured for 6 years at two teacher training Colleges, performed as pianist at the previous Maharani Hotel and played keyboard and sang in a Portuguese restaurant.
Mrs. Carini has also crewed on a yacht, crossing the Atlantic from South Africa to St. Helena, Brazil, Venezuela and the islands of the Carribbean.
She thrives on working with choirs in particular, but loves doing anything that involves performance and is a very good piano accompanist.
MUSIC AT THE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Grades 0 – 7 have ONE period of class music a week.
Areas covered are:-
Singing – focusing on correct voice production, projection, articulation, correct phrasing, breathing and musicality.
Movement to music – free interpretation of music eg. Saint-Saens ‘The Swan’, as well as rhythmic movement to music, eg. marching, galloping.
Orff Schulwerk – creative improvisation on rhythmic and melodic percussion instruments.
Drum–Circle – group hand-drumming using djembe drums, bongos, congas, African drums and other percussion instruments.
Music Literacy – notation of rhythms and pitch, and composition
Instruments of the Orchestra.
World-instruments and world music.
Classification of instruments.
History of Music – well-known classical composers and their works.
10.South African musicians eg. Mandoza, Lucky Dube, Brenda Fassie, Johnny Clegg, Steve Hofmeyr, Miriam Makeba.
11. The South African National Anthem – performance and history of the anthem.
MUSIC IN THE ARTS & CULTURE PROGRAMME – GRADES 8 & 9
Grades 8 and 9 have ONE HOUR a week of Arts and Culture. They will do a semester of Art, a semester of Music and a semester of Drama through the year, and all three areas are examinable.
We cover the following areas in music:-
1. Singing – focusing on correct voice production, projection, articulation, correct phrasing, breathing and musicality.
2. Orff Schulwerk – creative improvisation on rhythmic and melodic percussion instruments.
3. Drum–Circle – group hand-drumming using djembe drums, bongos, congas, African drums and other percussion instruments.
4. Instruments of the Orchestra.
5. World-instruments and world music.
6. Classification of instruments.
7. History of Music – well-known classical composers and their works.
8. South African musicians eg. Mandoza, Lucky Dube, Brenda Fassie, Johnny Clegg, Steve Hofmeyr, Miriam Makeba.
9. Music Literacy – composition of a piece of music for rhythmic percussion, using minimum 2 instruments.
10. Song-writing
11. The South African National Anthem – performance and history of the anthem.
MUSIC AS A SPECIALIST SUBJECT IN THE GET PHASE – GRADES 8 & 9
Students have a choice between Art, Music and Drama in grades 8 and 9.
It is extremely beneficial to those students who might like to take music as a matriculation subject in grade 10, to take music from grade 8 onwards. (See IMPORTANT INFORMATION below)
Students specializing in music will have to study a musical instrument,eg. the piano, violin, voice, guitar, drum-kit, trumpet, flute, trombone. We have many private teachers who come to our school in the afternoon and offer lessons in a variety of instruments. See list of teachers and contact details.
Teachers of instruments will have to be approved by school, because they will have to comply with the syllabus requirements.
We cover the following in the music lessons:-
Theory of Music – notation of music and the beginnings of composition. Students should achieve approx. a grade 3 theory of music by the end of grade 9. I do enter them for external examinations eg. The Royal Schools of Music exams.
History of Music – western classical music, Indian music, South African contemporary music, South African traditional music, pop music, jazz, blues etc.
The practical, instrumental study, will have to take place, at your own expense, after school. Students should only need a ½ hour lesson, once a week. (Some teachers prefer more)
The practical counts for 50% of the examination.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
There are 8 grades in music (instrumental and the theory of music).
The minimum grade level for the final matric practical examination is a music grade 5. The music grade level for the matric theory of music is also around a grade 5.
Students taking music for the first time in grade 10, do have their work cut out for them because they have to cover a lot of work, both practical and theory in 2½ years. The theory of music can be taught in this time, but the practical can be problematic, depending on the instrument being studied. Voice (singing) students shouldn’t have a problem achieving this minimum grade 5 level for their final practical examination.
MUSIC AS A SPECIALIST SUBJECT IN THE FET PHASE – GRADES 10 -12
Students have to take 4 compulsory subjects. They then choose their other subjects. Music is a matriculation subject.
The final Matric examination is made up of the following:-
PRACTICAL EXAMINATION – counting 150 marks
Technical Development – 20 marks
Aural (ear – training tests) – 15 marks
Sight-reading – 15 marks
Four pieces of music – three solo, and one ensemble -100 marks
MUSIC PAPER ONE – counting 120 marks
Music Literacy – theory, harmony and melody writing – 60 marks
General Music Knowledge – 60 marks
MUSIC PAPER TWO – counting 30 marks
Auditive Music Comprehension – Aural, Recognition of genre, style, instrumentation, mood, compositional techniques and form.
THE YEAR MARK – counting 100 marks
Students have to do 5 tasks throughout the year to achieve this year mark. The mid-year examinations, and in the case of the matrics, the trial examinations are also added to this year mark.
These are the grade 12 tasks:-
Public performance in a concert of ONE of your final matric practical examination pieces. Write programme notes for this performance. – 50 marks
Analyse a piece of harmony. Harmonise a melody.- 50 marks
An Improvisation exercise on musical instrument. Written explanation of style used.-50 marks
Composition / Arrangement exercise + recording of this work.- 50 marks
Music Knowledge assignment – written assignment of 1000 – 1500 words about South African Music.- 50 marks
SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT WANT ANSWERED
QUESTION: Are there any entrance requirements for a student taking music from grade 10?
ANSWER: YES! and NO!
It would benefit a student if he/she has already been studying an instrument for a few years and has also been taking theory of music lessons. Many children start taking lessons in a music instrument from a young age eg. 6/8.
Students must achieve the minimum requirement for their final matric practical examination – i.e. a music grade 5 practical.
The theory of music at matric level is approximately a grade 4-5.
QUESTION: Would a student who has not had any previous musical training be able to take music from grade 10.
ANSWER: We want to encourage interested students with talent and potential to take music as a matriculation subject. Should a student not have any previous training, they will have to undergo an audition process, or an aptitude test.