25 May 2023
The options available to children in schools nowadays are, in the vast majority of cases, far greater than those that their parents were afforded. Arts and culture, previously lightly regarded, are now, in schools like Clifton, “an integral part of our curriculum.”
“At some boys’ schools, the arts are, maybe, overlooked at certain times, not only by management or by the teaching staff, but also by the boys and the parent body. I feel, honestly, [at Clifton] each area is really given their support and their place in the sun. Our management is amazing. Honestly, the ideas that we come up with are, sometimes, crazy. They don’t even tell us that we need to stop. They just look at how we can make it happen, which makes it such a pleasure to be involved here.” – Jane Magner, Head of Clifton Instrumental Music and of the Preparatory School Subject Music.
Claiming to invest in music is different from actually investing in music, but a list of the music groups within Clifton quickly demonstrates that it is not a sideshow at the school. It is a main act:
Foundation Phase (Grade 00-3): Djembe and Percussion Club, Marimbas, Recorder Group, Violin Group
In the Foundation Phase, too, every boy in grades two and three sings in the choir.
Senior Prep (Grade 4-7): Various Marimba Bands, SP Choir, SP Orchestra
College (Grade 8-12): Marimbas, Orchestra, Choir, String Theory String Ensemble, Wind and Brass Ensemble, Drumline, College Band
“We try to meet the boys where they are at”
Magner – those in the know will recognise her as “That Girl on the Violin” – https://www.facebook.com/thatgirlontheviolin/ – told Pinnacle Schools that the Music Department is focussed on catering for each child: “It’s about helping boys to find the best musician within themselves. We try to meet the boys where they are at.”
It’s also about helping the boys to find meaning in the world around them through music and musical experience, she said.
The Clifton Music Department is structured in such a way as to allow a coherent, flowing path in music for the boys to follow. Magner explained: “At Clifton, we have quite a unique way of working and trying to look after that journey, and that is because we look at that journey through the whole school, because we are from grade 00 to matric.
“Pillars that run through the school”
“We have these pillars that run through the school. I am Head of Music in the prep school, but I am the Director of Instrumental Music through the whole school. You get to track the boys’ journey and support them, so that they aren’t lost when they go to high school. We really try to shepherd them through.
“On the choral spectrum, my colleague, Nina Watson, does the prep choirs. She’s the Head of Choral Music, but through the whole school. She gets to know the boys and gets to train their voices from a young age, and then carries them through into the high school, as well. That’s valuable, and what we want to achieve is a journey for each boy through music.
“In the prep school, everybody has class music as part of their school day. During that time, boys get exposed to as much practical music as possible, with various instruments.
“In grade two, for example, we have a programme where boys all do six months of recorder and six months of violin. They get exposed to a woodwind instrument and a string instrument, which can help them identify a passion for these instruments, which they wouldn’t ordinarily have tried out.”
A walk through the Music Department demonstrates a serious commitment to music: – numerous classrooms, plenty of instruments, and many examples of the classic music teacher – passion, optimism, and a warm connection with the students.
In high school, the boys are able to take music as a subject through to matric, but choosing to specialise in a specific instrument can be an expensive investment. For example, a quick online search of a South African website revealed a cello, listed as being “very, very, very good sounding”, at R69 000. The first two violins listed were for R79 000 and R12 000.
Taking the financial challenge out of the subject
Clifton, though, takes the financial challenge out of the subject, as Magner explained: “We are very fortunate at Clifton to have quite a few instruments ourselves so, for those class music programmes, the instruments are kept in the classroom, and boys are able to use them.
“We also have many instruments that boys can hire, if they want to do private lessons, which really does help. Sometimes it can be a lot to outlay at the start. And then, you also aren’t sure if a boy is going to click with a certain instrument.
“As a parent, you don’t want to outlay a huge amount on a cello or a saxophone without seeing a bit of a commitment first from the boy, which may take some time. Luckily, we are able to offer that, which is really nice.”
Saxophone prices? A well-known music outlet lists them from R7 500 (an unusually less expensive outlier) to almost R77 000.
It’s not only about formal music and official school groups, though. Boys are able to form their own bands, and they often do.
“There is a lot of initiative that comes from the boys. I think that is a spin-off of trying to foster this personal appreciation for music,” Magner said. “Boys will learn their instruments, but then they will hear something else, and then they will want to put it together with their friends, which is really nice. We also do lead it, to a certain extent.
“In the high school, we have a band, which is properly musically directed by one of our music staff, as well. We don’t leave the boys to just do their own thing. We still feel it is our job to guide them. But we do encourage that kind of boy-led initiative, which I think encourages them, and there is a whole new creative outlet.”
For some students, music is a form of expression that enables them to shine. Some do it in the classroom, some do it on the sports fields, and others do it on stage. They simply need to find that spark and be given opportunities.
“It can be empowering for boys to find that space and achieve something. It is also the process of playing an instrument, which is unlike anything else,” Magner said.
“It is not just writing something or doing something on a computer or a device. It is tactile and physical. It’s your ideas made physical, which is such a huge boy thing, because they are physical beings, and they want to express themselves with that physicality. It’s unique.”
Performing
For Clifton’s musicians, there are numerous opportunities to share their talents on stage. As a performer herself, part of Veranda Panda – https://www.facebook.com/VerandaPandaZA/ -, Jane Magner understands the importance of expressing oneself in front of others.
“I think that performance is a huge part of what fulfils the boys musically. You can practice and practice, but music comes to fruition when you share it with others. They always walk away from those performances so encouraged.”
Clifton collaborates with other schools and organisations, quite often with Durban Girls College, because, as Magner explained, “they are, in essence, our sister school”.
“We do a lot of collaborations with them. For example, we have an instrumental music soiree, which comes up next term, and our orchestras, which are part of the co-curricular, will co-perform.”
The KZN Youth Orchestra also calls Clifton home, rehearsing there every Friday throughout the year. In fact, many Clifton students are members of the orchestra, and the Youth Orchestra serves as inspiration for the boys at the school, challenging them to reach the next level, if that is their aspiration.
Contemporary and classical
A wide variety of music choices await Clifton’s boys, both classical and contemporary. Reflecting upon the make-up of the Music Department’s students, Magner said: “There is a lean towards contemporary music, because that is a lot of what boys are consuming. They look to these musicians and want to emulate them a lot of the time, like anybody would with any role model.
“There is still a strong classical contingent, and there are some boys who are really passionate about classical music and classical singing. There is a lot of that. I think there is a good mix.
“We reflect that in our music competition. We have sections for classical voice, classical instrumental, and then contemporary voice and contemporary instrumental. Everybody is given their platform and their space to express themselves.”
Understanding the crossover
If anyone should understand the crossover between classical and contemporary, Jane Magner would be that person. “I studied classical music. I am a classical violinist through and through, and I was in the KZN Philharmonic before I came into teaching. But I also love playing contemporary music.
“I am in a band, which plays electronic music, which is very different. I wouldn’t be as equipped to do that had I not had my classical training behind me. All of the boys know that, and that is why when they do start learning, for example, the piano or the saxophone, they have a grounding in their theory first. Then, as they develop in their character and interests, there are teachers who can point them in those directions.”
One imagines that Mrs Magner’s cool factor rose significantly this year when she performed at Splashy Fen, South Africa’s longest running and oldest music festival, where she was greeted by many Clifton boys. Proof of that is that she will feature at the school’s Cultural Daze event as a performer this year. The has happened because the boys requested it.
“I am a really active musician. I am on the performance circuit, and I bring that experience into the classroom,” Magner said. She not’s alone, Head of Choral Music, Nina Watson, and Foundation Phase Music Teacher and Music Administrator, Nina Alborough, also come from performance backgrounds.
“It’s exciting and dynamic, and it shows boys that music is alive,” Magner said.
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