St Thomas Aquinas School now offer the teaching of the ukulele after having purchased twenty five new instruments for the Primary School.
The music teacher responsible for this instruction, Ms Kiera Swanepoel said, “That this is the perfect way to introduce young people to musical concepts such as chords, the chromatic scale, tuning and stringed instruments as a whole.”
St Thomas’ ukulele group consists of 18 members (ranging from ages nine to twelve), and they have been experimenting with the four-stringed instruments over the last few weeks.
According to Swanepoel, children who learn to play an instrument enjoy advantages for the rest of their lives, both academic and personal. She shared some of her thoughts:
“Young musicians learn to take risks and conquer stage fright. Early music training helps develop brain areas that involve language and reasoning. Furthermore, it provides an outlet for self-expression and focuses on ‘doing’ rather than observing.”
Going forward it is anticipated that this group will be competing in competitions in no time.
