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Being held at the Guyenterprise headquarters at Irving and Lance Gibbs Street in Queenstown, Georgetown under the theme ‘Teaching and training the Teachers’, that workshop will continue until August 21 under the facilitation of well known Guyanese musician and teacher, Derry Etkins, who has over 33 years’ experience in teaching music at primary and secondary levels, and preparing choirs and instrumental ensembles for different events.
Etkins has also been involved with music curriculum development at primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels; has received several awards for his contribution to Music in Guyana and Barbados, and is currently teaching music at the St. George School in Tortola, British Virgin Isles.
The 15 participants of the workshop represent various rehabilitation centres, churches, secondary schools and organisations, including the Allied Arts Unit of the Ministry of Education; the Child Link; Tina Insanally Foundation; St. Ann’s Orphanage; Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre; Ruimveldt Children Centre; Christian Gospel Assembly, and more.
The overviews of topics to be covered include approaches to and benefits of, music education; teaching music at primary and secondary levels; the scope of music curricula for children of different ages, and the sequence in which the information should be presented; how to work with various instruments to teach music to children; what to expect from children of different ages; working with soloists and assembles; and a general upgrade of teachers’ musical knowledge.
The Tina Insanally Foundation is a legally-registered, not-for-profit organisation established in 2010 and inspired by the life of Tina Insanally, a young musician who regularly volunteered with disadvantaged children. TIF works to enrich the lives of Guyanese children through music education.
