Musicians Mentoring In Schools Programme Returns

For immediate release: Tuesday 4 March, 2014

Musicians Mentoring In Schools Programme Returns

The New Zealand Music Commission's Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme and Bands Mentoring in Schools Programme bring the magic and inspiration of face-to-face interaction
with professional musicians to students and teachers all over New Zealand. Throughout this initiative, our Mentors share their music skills; recording, composition and
performance experience; and their knowledge of the music industry.

The Music Commission has partnered with the Ministry of Education to provide a free music-mentoring scheme in schools to assist with the development of programmes for the arts in NZ.
This has been run successfully for the past twelve years and has just been renewed for a further three years by the Ministry of Education.

The Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme aims to support teachers in assessing Achievement Standards in Music for NCEA through the work the students produce through
participation in the Mentorship. This affords students –even those not enrolled in a music class – to earn NCEA credits for composition, performance, and other music standards.

The Mentors - professional musicians and performers - receive training and support from the Music Commission to act as Mentors and conduct workshops, seminars
and performances in participating schools. The Music Commission is able to fund up to five sessions at each participating school.

New Zealand Arts and Culture Minister Christopher Finlayson QC said, "One of the most effective means we have to develop strong musical talent in New Zealand and foster a love
of the arts is with Education. It is therefore gratifying to see the Ministry of Education renew the Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme and the
Bands Mentoring in Schools Programme run by the NZ Music Commission for another three years.”

The Music Commission is also pleased to announce the arrival of their new Education Manager Michelle Ladwig Williams, who takes over from well regarded and long serving
manager Stephanie Lees who left the Music Commission at the end of 2013 after twelve years in the position.

Michelle is currently a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology at the University of Auckland. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in K-12 Choral-General Music from
Arizona State University, USA and a Master of Arts in Music Education with a concentration in Ethnomusicology from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

”Michelle is a great addition to the Music Commission team and we are very pleased to have her here” said Cath Andersen, Chief Executive for the NZ Music Commission.

The first school mentoring session for 2014 kicks off with hip-hop MC Tyna Keelan visiting Gisborne Boys High School on March 24-25.

ENDS

Issued by the NZ Music Commission. The NZ Music Commission is a non-profit organisation that has been set up to promote music from New Zealand and grow NZ owned music businesses.

Find us online at: www.nzmusic.org.nz | www.nzmusic.org.nz/education/

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