Johannesburg pianist Sonja van Zyl turns childhood melody into academic triumph
From picking out movie tunes by ear as a toddler to braving lockdown for a doctorate, a veteran music teacher reflects on her life at the keys.
For pianist Sonja van Zyl, a lifelong relationship with music began with a childhood visit to the cinema to watch The Sound of Music.
She was just four years old when she watched the film, but what happened after returning home gave her parents an indication of her growing interest. “When I came home, I started picking some notes off one of the songs from the movie. Then my parents realised there’s a little bit of interest.”
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That moment led to formal piano lessons at the age of five, marking the beginning of a musical journey that would eventually become both her profession and lifelong passion.
Van Zyl credits her first piano teacher with laying an important foundation, describing her as gentle but firm. The teacher introduced her to musicality and technique while encouraging her to explore music further.
Her passion continued through her university studies, where she received guidance from piano tutors professor Joseph Stanford and Philip Leary at the University of Pretoria.
Although she had already completed her BMus degree, her desire to continue developing as a musician led her to pursue further academic studies.
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After getting married and raising her three children, she took up a teaching position at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. It was there that she found fresh inspiration to continue studying, eventually completing a master’s degree through Wits while maintaining her full-time teaching responsibilities.
Her academic journey did not end there. She went on to pursue a PhD, which she completed after three years, just a month before the Covid-19 lockdown began.
“I think my biggest joy was to achieve the PhD after three years and full-time work just before Covid,” she said. Although lockdown meant she could not walk across the stage to receive her qualification, she considers the achievement one of the most rewarding moments of her musical journey.
For Van Zyl, the accomplishment represents years of dedication to an instrument she first discovered as a little girl.
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