Arts Outreach Programme

Business and Implementation Plan

A Brief Overview

The SAEP Arts Programme is an extra-curricular programme available to learners at five high school in the Cape Flats townships of Philippi, Nyanga East, and Samora Machel: Zisukhanyo, Sophumelela, Oscar Mpetha, Intsebensiswano, and Sinethemba. The programme consists of a set of weekly workshops conducted by student volunteers from UCT, former learners from these schools, and some professional teachers and lecturers.

There are four workshop sets that the learners can choose from: drama, music, poetry and visual arts. Each of these will consist of 24 workshops through the course of one year, so that there will be approximately 100 workshops in total. These will aim at a joint performance to be held in the third term, consisting of a theatre competition, song contest, poetry reading and art exhibition. A detailed description of each of the four workshop streams is provided:

The dramaprogrammewill start with a few workshops on basic voice projection, characterization, etc. The learners will then be encouraged to select and perform a one-act play, to be directed by two of the learners themselves. The volunteers will coach and assist where necessary, and the best production will eventually be selected to be performed at the annual Artscape Schools Theatre Festival.

The musicprogramme is designed to expose learners to the sort of theoretical and practical music background that they require in order to be able to collaborate with other musicians and/or to study music at a tertiary level. The workshops are roughly based on the UCT one-year entry course into the BMus programme, but will be valuable to all learners who have an interest learning to read scores, sight-sing and recognize genres and periods.

Poetry and creative writing aims at encouraging self-expression and identity-exploration amongst the learners. It will be a non-prescriptive and interactive workshop course, in which the learners will spend a lot of time writing, but also some time being exposed to contemporary African and South American poetry (European poetry is usually covered at school), as well as performance poetry. This series will be conducted in close collaboration with the UCT School of Creative Writing.

Lastly, the visual arts workshops will conduct simple drawing and installation exercises using cheap and available materials. The curriculum will be determined by art teachers and professional township artists, in consultation with the learners, and will be facilitated by students and other volunteers. These workshops will also be used to identify and channel talented students towards supportive organizations such as the Frank Joubert Art and Design Centre.

Benefits to the Community

These projects will provide children with a range of valuable skills—public speaking, innovation, self-confident expression, English proficiency and knowledge of alternative arts careers. All of the workshops will attempt to provide learners with mentoring relationships with knowledgeable adults, an interest in self-motivated education and a space to explore specific talents. Also, very tangible skills necessary for succeeding in school examinations (such as English creative essay examinations) and tertiary learning (such as familiarity with music theory) will be targeted. In addition, parents, relatives and teachers will benefit from the entertainment which the children will provide and will be encouraged to become involved in various ways.

Activities

The Arts Outreach Programme will operate for learners in five township high schools, Sophumelela, Oscar Mpetha, Zisukhanyo, Intsebenziswano, and Philippi High. It will work in these schools Tuesday through Thursday, where each day will have a different focus. On Tuesday, learners will be provided workshops and lessons in the visual arts, on Wednesday in music and poetry, and on Thursday in drama.

SAEP ARTS OUTREACH PROGRAMME
Activities and Outcomes
DRAMA / MUSIC / POETRY/
CREATIVE WRITING / VISUAL ARTS / OUTCOMES
Partners / Artscape Soundtrack for Life / UCT School of Music / UCT School of Creative Writing and
The Centre for the Book / Helen Binckes (art teacher and art therapist) and
Frank Joubert Art and Design
Centre
Venues / High Schools:
Sophumelela, Oscar Mpetha, Zisukhanyo, Intsebenziswano, Philippi
Marimba Classes at AmaAmbush / Frank Joubert
Term 1
19/02-30/03
6 workshops / Training Workshops: characterization, voice projection, breathing training, improvisation, body consciousness, team working, script-writing. / Basic notes, values, clefs and time signatures; Introduction to symphony, opera and chamber music; aural. / Initial intensive volunteer training workshop.
Learner workshops on free writing; quick sharp exercises on description, characterization, etc. / Series of interactive lectures on Art History by Michel, to start term before students arrive. Workshops on drawing, composition and colour harmony. (2 each)
Term 2
16/04-1/06
7 workshops / Creation and rehearsal of 10min piece, around theme: “Relationships”.
Performance at community-based Artscape selection events. / Scales and key signatures; Baroque era; tempo and dynamics.
Selection and rehearsal of performance piece. / Exercises of form—rhyming, rhythm, alliteration, tone, etc. / Workshops on colour again, and on texture (2 each).
Start to paint group canvases (5 to a canvas) / Creation of an established and committed class of learners, basic familiarity with subject
Term 3
30/07-07/08
6 workshops / Ongoing rehearsal, script development, expansion of play in 30min production. Artscape High Schools Drama Competition. / Minor keys; Classical Era; Italian terms; introduction to sight-singing.
Performance of piece at Artscape Schools Arts Festival. / On going exercises on dialogue, script-writing and novel-writing. Talented students selected to attend editing workshops at the Centre for the Book. / Preparation for exhibition, completion of canvases.
After exhibition, experimentation with music and art, exposure to contemporary artists, outing / Deepened understanding of subject, practice in actively choosing, creating and rehearsing.
Term 4
01/10-26/10
4 workshops / Wrap-up workshops, training to train / Major/minor intervals; Romantic Era; Recognizing instruments/ voice parts; Sight singing / Individualized writing and preparation for publication of best work by Centre for the Book. / Completion of work, wrap-up, training, possibly a camp. / Sense of achievement from performance/ exhibition of own work, successful production enjoyed by greater community
A few committed/talented learners selected to assist in workshops of following year

Proof of Impact

Poetry and Creative Writing Workshops

  • One participant, Asanda Gonya, has published two poems in the poetry journal Carapace and has also published a collection of his own poems, Blinding Mirrors, with a grant from the Centre for the Book.
  • SAEP’s Art Outreach Programme co-sponsored a poetry competition for township high school students and community residents, the winners of which were published in the community newspaper iIndaba Zasekhaya. The panel of judges included the well-known poet Gus Ferguson, Dr. Harry Garuba of the University of Cape Town, and Dr Helen Moffett of the African Gender Institute.
  • One high school learner, Noluyanda Roxwana, published a short story in the science fiction journalProbe 127.
  • In May 2008, ten learners from Sophumelela High School participated in the Cape Town Literature Festival hosted by the Arts & Culture Unit of the Social Development Department. They took part in a poetry workshop and poetry reading run by James Matthews and Melody Shevlane.
  • All learners who take part in the poetry and Creative Writing workshops were encouraged to write a poem for the SAEP “Arts Festival” in June 2008 and those selected performed their poems at the festival.

Drama Workshops

  • One of the participants, Asanda Gonya, wrote the script for and directed the entry of Oscar Mpetha High School in the Artscape High School Arts Festival in 2005.
  • Another participant, Shiela Yabo, wrote the script for and directed the entry of Sinethemba Senior Secondary School in the Artscape High School Arts Festival in 2006.
  • In 2008 the 5 UCT Drama students studying Community Theatre gave workshops in 3 schools. They coached their groups to give school-wide performances and showcase their talent at the SAEP Arts Festival.

Visual Arts

  • Art as a matric subject. In the 2006 matric examinations, students from Sinethemba Senior Secondary School, for whom we had arranged to take art lessons at the Frank Joubert Art and Design Centre, wrote matric in Painting and Sculpture and did very well. Five learners wrote painting and their results were two A’s, one B, one D and an E, with an average of 72%. Two learners wrote sculpture; one received an A and the other a B, earning an average between them of over 82%. No students at the school had ever before written subjects in art.
  • Post matric artist. In 2004, SAEP was approached by a talented young artist, Khaya Sinyile, for assistance in pursuing an artistic career. SAEP arranged for him to have private art lessons and then to enroll in the Community Arts Project in Cape Town, where he has been able to establish himself as a painter and begin to show and sell his work.
  • In 2008, 17 grade ten learners began extra mural classes at Frank Joubert. They will continue these classes in 2009, in addition to lessons in Art History.

Music

  • Two participants in SAEP’s programmes have gone on to perform in and assist in the production of two gospel CDs: Malibongwe Igama Lakhe, the Holy Living Male Voices Group, Cape Town and NGO 1972 Somerset, Abavakalisi (Isicathamiya).
  • In 2008 two Music classes were started by SAEP at Oscar Mpetha High School and Philippi High. These learners were taught basic music theory and then went on to form Marimba groups. They were taught by AmaAmbush Marimba’s and reached an almost professional level by the end of the year.

Artistic Careers

  • Xolani May (2003) studied voice at the University of Cape Town for two years and is now organizing a music production company.
  • Nezile Ntutha (2004) has been awarded a bursary to study at AFDA in 2007 after an internship at Artscape.
  • Khangelani Mtyhalela (2004) has completed the equivalent of two years at AFDA.
  • Sandiso Phaliso (2004) publishes articles regularly in the Cape Argus.
  • Shiela Yabo (2006) has been admitted to study Drama, Film, and Media at UCT in 2007.