Liezel Noah
Being brought up by single parent money was scarce and music lessons were a luxury we could not afford however my mother believed in filling her children with things that the world cannot take away. She loved music and although she herself knew nothing of it she saw a talent in me worth investing in. At the age of 9, I started formal piano lessons which continued throughout my schooling career. This naturally progressed in me taking music as a subject from grade 10 to 12. We could only afford to buy a proper piano when I was in Grade 11 which meant most of my practice was on a keyboard or extra time at school trying to keep up with the demands. This, in itself; set me back with piano technique tremendously. However, my love for the piano and teaching music is what inspired me to pursue a degree in music. I completed my tertiary education at Nelson Mandela Bay University with a bachelor’s degree in Music (Music Education) in 2013 specializing in Music education (Creative arts) under Professor De Villers and piano as my main instrument under the tutelage of Dr. Bothma.
A few years later, I went onto teach at Curro Westbrook Independent School in 2015 teaching piano and guitar to approximately 7 learners and have since seen the department grow exponentially. As Head of the music department, we have since added violin and voice as additional instruments with the prospect of many more instruments added in the future. I am passionate about curriculum development and finding new ways of teaching music literacy that engages the modern child. Curro prides itself in 21st century learning, and we have managed to find innovative ways to incorporate technology in the music class.
I am privileged to be at the helm of this growth and witnessing the music department evolve as we expose learners to reading and performing music from the age of 5 in the Preschool all the way to the High School, offering music as a subject for the FET (Grade 10 to 12) learners. The possibilities are endless!
My method of teaching is based on the principle that my job is not to simply lodge what I know into the learner but to teach each learner how to learn. I simply expose each child to the tools which they need to be successful and show them how to use it with the expectation that they go and practice using these tools. Sometimes they will get it right but most of the time they will face many challenges because when they are away from you it is when the real learning takes place. It is in these moments that I am there to facilitate the learning process by showing them what they are doing wrong and helping them discover how to fix it. Children cannot learn through copying and imitation. We need to create a safe space where learners are encouraged to think critically about the task at hand and from there develop their own understanding. I always look to the image of the candle when I think of the role of the teacher. The teacher is simply there to pass on the light to every child that passes through their hands.
Our talents have been given to us as a gift from God and it is our responsibility as stewards of these gifts to help our learners find, nurture, and develop their own individual talents. The reward for me is the knowledge that every child who learns to make music because of me will inevitably always have a part of me with them. It gives me a sense of purpose knowing that I have given a part of myself to someone who will then be able to share it with everyone they encounter. Even the child who does not have the desire to become a performer one day and just wants to learn how to play an instrument will have a greater sense of appreciation and respect for the arts and hopefully be a better person for simply being exposed to it.