Community Gem: Rae Riley Wyld

When Rae Riley Wyld took her seat among other students at the 42nd annual Bay of Plenty Music School during the weekend, she was always going to stand out.
Not just because of her superb violin skills or her ability to sight read almost any musical score - but at almost 88 years of age, she had known many of her fellow participants since they were children.
"I used to be on the organising committee years ago but I haven't been to one of these schools for 10 years or more. This year it was so close by and I thought there might still be a few people who remember me. I'm just going to go for fun, sit in the back row and just take it quietly."
Mrs Wyld's version of "taking it quietly" probably differs from most people her age.
She has devoted her life to performing and sharing music in the Bay of Plenty and still hosts a weekly get-together for fellow musicians who enjoy performing together as a string quartet.
"I've always loved music and the people you meet through it. I play now purely for my own fun but my hands aren't as strong these days."
Thanks to Mrs Wyld's enthusiasm, thousands of Tauranga school children have discovered their musical talents during the years and enjoyed new opportunities as a result.
The former Greerton Primary School teacher was appointed a music resource teacher in the late 1970s and spent three years travelling around primary and intermediate schools showing the teachers how to teach music to youngsters.
"A lot of teachers in those days, especially the male ones, were terrified of taking music in the classroom. My job was to teach them the basics like using simple instruments, rhythm and pitch and how to then approach those things with primary school students."
Mrs Wyld is a life member of the Bay of Plenty Symphonia (formerly known as the Tauranga Concert Orchestra), and the Tauranga Primary Schools Music Festival Society, which gathers school children together each year to perform in a large choir.
She says her trick for encouraging young boys to join the school choir in her day was to make the whole rugby team join "that way they wouldn't stand out because all of their mates would be doing it too".
Countless weddings and funerals at St George's church have taken place with Mrs Wyld seated at the organ and she still plays the piano now and again at local church services and Anglican get-togethers.
She has also passed her love of music onto her children and grandchildren and believes the younger people are exposed to music, the better.
"I like to see the kids getting together in bands, too.
"It doesn't matter what type of music it is. But the thing is to give them a chance."