Rustenburg Girls’ Junior, in partnership with WCED, presented the
Creative Arts Conference 2021
Equity and Diversity in Creative Arts Education
27-28 August 2021 – Virtual
The heart of the school was missing...
COVID may have turned the world upside down leaving a devastating impact on education but it has also given us the opportunity to reimagine teaching and has highlighted the unwavering commitment of educators. It has highlighted the critical role that Creative Arts plays in supporting the educational, social, emotional and psychological well being of learners. The Creative Arts are ‘the heart of the school’, building character while children learn essential life skills and values, such as curiosity and creativity, that will shape their future.
The 2021 Creative Arts Education Conference provided educators with the tools needed to provide quality creative arts education to every learner, whether they have specialist training and, more specifically, if they don’t. It showcased the critical role the Creative Arts has in working towards equity and diversity in our schools. It introduced educators to new technology that keep our learners engaged in Creative Arts learning.
Who this event was for
The conference and workshops were designed to provide a fresh and exciting approach to teaching the arts (music, art, design, dance) for:
- Primary & high school teachers responsible for teaching any of the Creative Arts components,
- Foundation phase teachers,
- Students studying to enter the teaching profession
- School principals and management teams
All attendees earned 20 CPTD points for attending and could choose to become a Level 1 Kami Certified Educator by completing the Kami Fundamentals Course.
View recordings by speakers
Click below to watch the recording of the session that featured the following speakers.
Katherine Damkohler
Founder Director of ETM (Education Through Music), New York
A long-time New York inner-city educator, a former teacher and a principal that led her school to a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award. As Executive Director, she has helped ETM grow to serve thousands of New York City children annually.
Siphokazi Jonas
Writer, poet, performer, and producer with a strong national footprint
She holds an MA in English Literature and a BA in Drama and English from the University of Cape Town. Her background in the theatre is what makes her a truly captivating performer whose work leaves a lasting impression on audiences across the world.
Ms Debbie Schäfer
MEC for Education Western Cape
Ms Schafer is the MEC for Education in the Western Cape.
She was born in Pietermaritzburg and obtained a BA degree in English and Psychology from the University of Cape Town and later completed an LLB degree. She practiced law for a period of twelve years prior to starting her political career.
Hendrik Marais
Head of Music & Specialist Subjects: Rustenburg Girls' Junior School
With his vibrant and dynamic approach to music education and choral singing, he manages a large creative arts department with a team of 16 specialists’ teachers.
Belinda Petersen
Principal: Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School
In July 2019 Belinda became the first black principal at Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School in the 127 year history of the institution. She is known for her inclusive leadership style, being a change agent, catalyst and motivator.
Karen Dudley
Director Curriculum Development: WCED
Karen Dudley assumed duty as Director: Curriculum Development (General Education and Training) Grades ECD to Grade 9 on 1 July 2017. In 2020, Ms Dudley was recognized and received the award as one of Mail & Guardian’s Powerful Women for 2020.
Anina Lundie
Senior Curriculum Planner for Creative Arts: WCED
Anina studied at the University of Stellenbosch and at the Trinity College of London where she obtained an Honours degree in Drama, as well as a Licentiate in Drama teaching. In 2009 Anina became the WCED Senior Curriculum Planner for Creative Arts from Gr 4 – 9.
Lindsay Wesner
Edumagineer and Experience Architect, PurpleZA
2016 EduWeek ‘Teacher of Tomorrow’ Award winner and two-time winner of the South African ‘iTeacher’ Award. As Director of Teach. Learn. Innovative and PurpleZA, she works with educators, lecturers and school leaders in South African classrooms and beyond.
View recordings by agenda
15:00 – 15:10 | Word of Welcome (Watch Session on YouTube)
Belinda Petersen | Principal of Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School
Explanation of the process of gamification throughout the two-day event.
15:10 – 15:30 | Keynote Address 1: Equity & Diversity in the Creative Arts Classroom (Watch Session on YouTube)
Katherine Damkohler | Founder Director of Education Through Music, New York
15:30 – 16:00 | CONNECTING THE DOTS (Watch Session on YouTube)
Yvette Hardie / Dr Sello Galane / Haroon Mahomed / Karen Dudley / Beth Arendse
From National and Provincial Strategy to quality arts education for every child in every classroom.
16:10 – 16:40 | WHO ARE YOU? (Watch Session on YouTube)
Anneen Abels / Belinda Petersen / Siphokazi Jonas
Character Development through Creative Arts.
16:45 – 17:15 | Demonstration: Musicfirst Junior // Musicfirst Classroom (Watch Session on YouTube)
Dr Jim Frankel & Team
Teaching System for Elementary Music Education // Learning Management System for Music Educators
18:20 – 19:00 | Providing peak experiences through contact with professional artists and performances, learners are inspired to explore the arts with greater curiosity and engagement
Choose between one of the two entertainment activities below:
- Tah Dam! Music and Dance performance for Children (Foundation Phase) → View on YouTube
- The Little Prince – Market Theatre Laboratory (Gr 4 – 9) (Featured at ASSITEJ World Congress 2021) → View on YouTube
Pick Your Workshop (17h15 – 17h45)
Workshop 1
Visual Art In the Foundation Phase: Exploring Puppetry (Grade R-3)
Jill Joubert
Workshop 2
Correlation Between Maths, Music, Dance and Design – A Practical Session (Grade R-9)
Kurt Minnaar
Workshop 3
Integration of Music, Dance & Drama in Creative Arts (Grade 4-6)
Yvette Hardie
Pick Your Workshop (17h50 – 18h20)
Workshop 4
Exploration of Creative Movement in the Foundation Phase (Grade R-3)
Roxy Levy
Workshop 5
Poetry Matters – Discover the Magic and Power (Grade 4-9)
Siphokazi Jonas
Workshop 6
Practical Solutions for Teaching Creative Arts with Large Groups (Grade 4-9)
Margie Clarke // Phillip Jaftha // Michelle Petersen // Deon JH Burger // Gezania De Jongh // Betsie Strydom // Cantel Ross
09:00 – 09:15 | Musical Morning Starter (Watch Session on YouTube)
With reference of being mindful, creative and curious.
Pick Your Workshop (09h15 – 09h45)
Workshop 7
Towards healing and well-being by practicing the Arts at school (Grade R-3)
Amelda Brand
Workshop 8
Visual literacy strategies for intermediate and senior phase learners (Grade 4-9)
Berenice Carelse-Plato
Workshop 9
The heart of the school is missing – every school a singing school (Grade R-9)
Hendrik Marais
Pick Your Workshop (09h50 – 10h20)
Workshop 10
How to use Dramatic Skills in everyday Learning -an integrated approach (Grade R-9)
Roché Buckle
Workshop 11
Value-added assessments towards quality teaching & learning in Creative Arts (Grade 4-6)
Samuel Lundie
Workshop 12
Teaching Arts Entrepreneurship: Developing arts consumers from a young age and supporting the arts economy in South Africa (Grade R-9)
Diaan Lawrenson &
Christopher Swift
Pick Your Workshop (10h25 – 10h55)
Workshop 13
Kickstarting Creative Arts education at Intermediate Phase level Through longer term collaboration (Grade R-9)
Alison Green &
Mpumy Ndlovu
from Assitej SA
Workshop 14
Adventuring Into Art: Developing art teaching resources – beyond the textbook! (Grade R-9)
Ruth Sack
11:00 – 11:30 | Workshop 16: Kami in the Creative Arts Classroom (Watch Session on YouTube)
Nicole Rennie
Learn how Kami will become your creative arts classroom hero.
11:30 – 12:00 | Music Education in an Innovating World (Watch Session on YouTube)
Kristina Abella Rey – Music Educator
Tech Strategies for Young Learners
12:05 – 13:05 | Become a Level 1 Kami Certified Educator (Watch Session on YouTube)
Work independently through the Kami Fundamentals Course to become a Level 1 Kami Certified Educator. Those who completed the course within a week will go in the draw to win some Kami swag.
13:15 – 13:30 | Keynote Address 2 (Watch Session on YouTube)
Debbie Schäfer – MEC Education Western Cape
13:30 – 14:00 | ADVOCACY FOR ARTS EDUCATION & ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS (Watch Session on YouTube)
Hugo Thiart, Artistic Director: KKNK & SA artists representing Dance, Drama, Music & Visual Art
Panel Discussion and Q&A (Gr R-9)
14:00 – 14:30 | CELEBRATING COLLABORATION (Watch Session on YouTube)
Janet Watts / OThandiwe Sekhibane / Allison Hendricks / Caryn Green
How professional partnerships can ensure a creative future for schools.
14:30 – 15:00 | WHERE TO FROM HERE? What strategies and plans to put in place going forward (Watch Session on YouTube)
Belinda Petersen / Anina Lundie / Hendrik Marais / Elizabeth Fredericks / Ebrahim Peck / Lindsay Wesner
– Create CA teacher teams in schools to develop a community of practice.
– Global and collaborative projects / The power of focused Creative Arts drive in schools.
Join Schools Like
Foundation phase teachers, creative arts teachers and school management teams from the following schools attended:
Pick Your Ticket
Purchase for yourself or for your school or twin school.
If you’re buying multiple tickets for your school, why not also buy tickets for your twin school or a less fortunate school to make this event available to them as well? To buy a school package, please provide your invoice details below. Please note this is not for individual tickets.
Tickets Sales Closed
To make this event available to more schools, we are asking willing companies to sponsor tickets. By sponsoring a ticket, we have a few different ways we can say thank you. We’ll be in contact with you after you submit the form. To sponsor tickets, please provide your invoice details below.
Tickets Sales Closed
Got Any Questions?
This a fully online event. It will not take place on this website but on a virtual conference platform.
Yes. All sessions will be recorded and available to view immediately after a session has ended. These will be available on the virtual conference platform.
Scroll up a bit to purchase a ticket(s). You will then receive an email with a link to access the virtual conference platform.
We are trying our best to make this event available to as many people as possible. So, if you are unable to purchase a ticket, please do contact Pam on pamhei@rgjs.org.za or +27 82 882 5670.
To get the most out of the event, each attendee should purchase an individual ticket and use their own device. By doing so, you will be able to make use of all the networking capabilites and create your own personal agenda.
Yes, it starts at 15h00 on Friday 27 August and at 9h00 on Saturday 28 August.
Helpful Links
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