WAMTA STUDENT FORUM REPORT 2011

WAMTA STUDENT FORUM REPORT 2011
By Jocelyn Kotchie

Hosting three of the Student Forums this year has been an absolute joy! The attendance has been terrific and has grown substantially throughout the year, from 13 performers in March through to 43 in September and similar in October. The levels and ages of the students have varied considerably, from tiny tots and absolute beginners playing one-line songs to older teenagers with their learned interpretations of Beethoven and Debussy. We’ve even had a mum with her two children playing a piano trio!

As well as an ‘across the board’ representation of performers, it has also been extremely encouraging to see a similar representation of teachers, with those younger and newer teachers bringing their students alongside the more experienced teachers, who even with their own busy practices, are still making time to bring their students along to experience and learn from these performance opportunities.And the students themselves are an absolute delight! As host, I have the advantage of sitting right up the front and can see the expressions on the performers’ faces when they experience the applause from the audience and it’s absolutely priceless – not just the younger children but the older teens as well – to see their faces light up when they hear that applause.
Of course there are mistakes and muck-ups as is quite natural and for the most part I’m happy to report that the students take it in their stride, although there are the occasional histrionics, usually humorous, such as the 4 or 5 year old who sits down to play his little tune, makes a mistake then throws his hands to his forehead with great drama, exclaiming ‘OH NO!!!!!’ Of course, that generally brings the house down and the moment of tension is gone!

For those who have never attended a Student Forum, which included me, I’m ashamed to say, it’s a painless procedure. St Mary’s Church on the corner of Ridge and Karoo Streets in South Perth, is large enough to hold a good-sized audience but intimate enough to still feel warm and welcoming. There is no charge for performing students or their teachers and only a $2 per person charge for audience members, which is donated to the church towards upkeep of the piano and the church in general. The atmosphere is friendly and supportive and provides the opportunity for students to become comfortable playing in front of an audience. I strongly recommend teachers to embrace this wonderful opportunity for their students and I personally can’t wait to get back and host the next one!

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