Even more graduates in this year’s harvest
In the June issue of our newsletter we reported on the dozen postgraduate students who completed their Master's and doctoral degrees earlier this year. At the graduation ceremonies of 30 July and 18 September, a further four postgraduate students received their...
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Finding a Voice in Every Language: Making Classical Singing More Accessible
by Prof Conroy Cupido The NWU School Music has embarked on an innovative multilingualism project aimed at making the language of classical singing training more accessible to students, teachers, and singing communities in South Africa and beyond. The project brings...
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ArtePiano: An International Gathering of Young Pianists in Italy
Reported by Prof Tinus Botha In July, I had the privilege of participating in ArtePiano, a weeklong intensive course for talented young pianists held annually in the picturesque medieval town of Castelnuovo di Farfa, approximately an hour by train from Rome. The...
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Six-month artistic research residency concluded
Dr Jaco Meyer was selected to participate in the enuntiatio.praefatio.formulae artistic research residency programme, an international initiative that brings together artistic researchers working in music and sound-based practices from across the globe. Chaired by the...
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4th Annual NATS South Africa Chapter Conference
A sizeable delegation from the NWU School of Music attended this conference at Stellenbosch University from 22 to 24 July. Apart from his duties as President of the NATS South Africa Chapter, Prof Conroy Cupido also presented a paper, conducted Classical singing...
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Exploring experiences of gratitude during musicking in a community orchestra
This case study, published in Frontiers in Psychology in March 2026 by Prof Liesl van der Merwe and Dr Debra Joubert, explores the experiences of gratitude during musicking in a community orchestra. Drawing on interviews with 13 orchestra members aged 10 to 79 from...
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Master Teacher in NATS Intern Programme
Reported by Prof Conroy Cupido Last month, I had the privilege of travelling to South Carolina, USA, where I was invited to serve as a Master Teacher in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Intern Programme. The programme brings together experienced...
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Celebrating diverse voices with children
Reported by Prof Mignon van Vreden On Friday 22 May, the second-year BMus Music Education students staged the annual toddler production, The Lost Melody / Die Verlore Wysie. Both performances were fully booked and thoroughly enjoyed by preschoolers, teachers, and...
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Half a dozen MMus graduates
Six MMus students graduated at the NWU graduation ceremony on Wednesday 3 June: Tamaryn Abott (cum laude) [above, left] — "Exploring how musicking shapes the faith journeys of selected contemporary worship musicians: A narrative inquiry." Supervisor: Prof Mignon van...
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Doctorates galore!
It was a rare and special occasion on Friday 5 June when five staff members of the School of Music received their doctoral degrees at the same graduation ceremony. Dr Thomas Erlank, DMus — "Exploring how purposefully selected emotion regulation strategies could...
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Beyond the Lab Bench
In the May issue of H-Factor, the newsletter of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof Janelize Morelli and Dr Yvonne-Marié Brand contributed an article titled "Beyond the lab bench: The case for sustainable industry partnerships in the Humanities". It is based on their...
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Another successful concert tour to Costa Rica & Colombia
Following their first visit to Costa Rica and Colombia last year, Prof Tinus Botha and Mr Thomas Erlank returned for a second visit in April, combining performance, teaching, and academic engagement. During this visit, they collaborated with leading institutions,...
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