Belles of St Mary's

The school that produced Malvina Major and Kiri Te Kanawa is finding that compulsory music sounds great, writes TINA SHAW.

It has been slowly dawning on 50 form one girls at St Mary's College in Ponsonby that there will be no escape from music. Dog ate my violin? No excuse will be good enough.

This year at St Mary's, an integrated Catholic all-girls' school, the intermediate-level newcomers are coming to terms with the fact that they must play an orchestral instrument - even the ones who don't know a quaver from a crotchet. Not only that, but the girls must also play in either the concert band or the orchestra.

Compulsory music? You must be joking.

There is, however, a musical revolution going on at St Mary's. Under the enthusiastic eye of music director Ted Dawson, a programme started last year aims at the youngest level in the school. Girls of 11 and 12 are playing bassoons, french horns and oboes. Free weekly instrumental lessons from itinerant tutors, paid for by the school, can continue through form seven.

When girls join intermediate classes, instruments are assigned after musicability tests. For example, if a girl has already studied piano and achieves full marks in the pitch part of the test, she probably has a well-developed ear combined with the ability to read the bass clef. Perfect for the cello.

"None of the instruments is easy," says Dawson, a Geordie with a keen sense of humour. "You have to practise them all. But it helps to decide which instrument is going to suit which student. Of the year seven girls in 1999, only two or three changed instruments. And nobody backed out."

What about kids who hate music?

Dawson, once a professional hornplayer, looks aghast. "I've never come across a person who hates music, have you?"

Single-minded in his vision, he is proud of the fact that he has a complete concert band at both junior and senior levels.

But it's not as draconian as it might sound, and girls have the option of giving up their instrument in form three. But as the principal, Sister Mary Neven, points out, by that stage every student will have had a musical education - two years of fairly intensive practice and theory.

Dawson adds that it will be interesting to see how many will carry their music through to form three. He suspects the dropout rate will be low.

It's all based on a pyramid structure. There is the year seven orchestra and band and the year eight orchestra and band. If a girl comes into year seven with the skills to play in the senior band, she can do so. There is no age limit on senior groups. There is also compulsory singing, which boosts the choirs.

It is a structure that offers the girls challenges, and it has been working. Students have grown in confidence and parents are behind it.

Mata Carpenter's daughter, Judeena, in form two, has been playing the viola. She has weekly lessons and also gets a buzz out of playing in the year eight orchestra with about 20 other girls.

Carpenter says that she is not very musical, and is glad that Judeena has the opportunity to learn an instrument.

"I don't know if viola would have been my first choice in the matter," she says, "but I've watched the teachers and they are really dedicated to it. That gives me the confidence for Judeena to carry on."

Hayley Nessia, a diminutive form one student who is playing the cello, says: "I was excited about playing an instrument. It's cool."

The only downside is that she has to lug a heavy cello between school and home. Hayley says she can leave it at school but must often take it on the bus for practice at home.

She and friend Lauren McCann are keen to improve their skills.

Lauren, who is learning the oboe, says it was hard to play at first. "I sounded like a duck."

Her father makes her practise for an hour a day.

Both girls would like to go on music trips. Last year the senior concert band toured Britain, playing at 15 venues.

Performance is an integral part of the programme and Prom Nights, packed with proud parents, showcases the school's work. "It's about reclaiming the school's tradition of music," Sister Mary says.

Principal since 1987, she recalls the days of Sister Mary Leo, when St Mary's acted like a school of music, with students coming from throughout Auckland. This is, after all, the school that produced Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Malvina Major.

There have always been musically talented students at St Mary's. Although they have been catered for within the academic programme with itinerant music teachers, Sister Mary says they were not getting the opportunity to play together regularly. She felt that needed a rethink.

Dawson enthuses about the benefits. "The amount of development that the girls can get from learning an instrument is astronomical," he says.

"It's an amazing way to train the brain. And the benefits go right through the school. Buzz words are teamwork, commitment and excitement.

"We're not here to churn out musicians. The actual music that they produce is the cream on the top."