awarenet Peace Day Celebration 2013

On 18th of September the Awarenet Peace Day Celebration took place for the second time in Grahamstown. Awarenet is a new interactive education and communication software for schools, designed to create a safe environment where student communities at schools across the globe can interact. It was a wonderful event! Terri-Lynn Penney, the Head community Coordinator and Trustee of the Village Scribe Association organized this concert. More than 50 learners from 5 schools in all presented their own Peace Day songs to 400 visitors. Corinne Cooper of the Rhodes Department of Music and Musicology, along with Sean Devonport and Tsukudu Moroeng, students of Sound Technology at Rhodes, composed one backing, which was given to the schools. The learners aged between 12 and 15 wrote the lyrics and melodies of their songs themselves and presented one song per school. Corinne Cooper, Lunga Heleni and Zukani Budaza trained the learners in song writing and song composition for 7 weeks. Sanele Ntshingana and Neo Koza from Rhodes University lead the audience through the concert. Groups from Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary, CM Vellem Higher Primary, Mary Waters High, Good Shepherd Primary and Ntaba Maria Secondary schools competed to perform the best Peace Day song. The talent was incredible! The local kwaito artist Syanda and judge Tsukudu Moroeng of the Hip Hop duo of Rhodes University performed on stage. Composer Sebastian Jameson, masters student in ethomusicology Nicole Germiquet and Hip Hop specialist and composer Tsukudu Moroeng judged the performances of the learners in six categories. The certificates for the best male and female rapper went to Azola Jela from Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School and Asiphile Vena from Good Shepherd Primary school. For the best performance the judges chose CM Vellem Higher Primary school and the certificate for the best Peace Day song lyrics went to Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary school. Brandon Williams from Mary Waters High school won the certificate for the best overall performance by an individual. Finally Ntaba Maria School won the first prize for the best Peace Day song of 2013. They will receive their own music video. All the songs in the competition will be recorded by Corinne Cooper who will also produce the CDs at the Rhodes recording studio. "I was very impressed by the creativity of the learners, and look forward to recording them" said Corinne Cooper. "It was a very successful event and it certainly showcased how much talent there is in Grahamstown.”

[permalink]
Posted: September 19th 2013 03:41