A Virtual Symposium for Music Teachers: A Soul Sounds Academy Initiative

In the inspiring words of Julie Garwood, “Education isn’t just about feeding the brain. Art and Music feed the heart and soul”. With the outbreak of the Covid -19 pandemic, it is safe to say that many of us have been challenged with unforeseeable change that both students and teachers alike have been forced to adapt to. For music educators, this pandemic has proven to be a significant obstacle which has prevented teachers interacting with their students. The world as we know has changed, given the countless restrictions and lockdowns we’ve all faced in the recent past. 

At the Soul Sounds Academy, based in Colombo, the management and staff has worked hard to embrace this change and strive forwards. Over the last two years the academy management and the Soul Sounds Virtual Events team, led by its founder Mrs. Soundarie David Rodrigo, a well known name in the Sri Lankan music industry have been brainstorming to find creative and innovative ways of keeping students engaged, giving them nothing short of the best opportunities to nourish and showcase their talents. Hence, the academy began introducing virtual events for students such as the Virtual Summer Camps in 2020 and 2021 as well as a Virtual Christmas competition last December. 
Following the success of these events, a new concept dawned - the concept of a “Virtual Symposium for Music Teachers.”   

A teacher is a fount of wisdom that enriches, nourishes and touches the lives of students both educationally and personally. With this forum, the intention was to reach out to music teachers across Sri Lanka and around the world who devote their service to their country by inculcating an appreciation of music in students of music. The goal was to empower them to learn and adapt their teaching styles, in ways that would make working on virtual platforms and coping with change easy, fun and interactive during such volatile and uncertain times.

This event organized by the Soul Sound Academy Virtual Events Team, in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy, SLASSCOM and the International Kodaly Society, is to be held on October 31, with the intention of sharing up-to-date teaching practices and tactics followed internationally, with our music teachers here in Sri Lanka. Participants would not only have the opportunity to connect and interact with a panel of esteemed guest speakers, but also with music teachers from different parts of the world who would all be joining in to learn from and help each other, and form new friendships in the process.

"The symposium would include, Q&A sessions, workshops and many more interactive learning activities followed by a Virtual Concert and closing ceremony showcasing talent from Norway"

The internationally renowned panel of speakers includes, Prof. Thomas Caplin (Norway), Prof.T. J Harper (U.S.A), Haruko Seki (U.K), Dr. James Cuskelly (Australia), and few others who are well respected and experienced in their respective fields and bring about new dynamic and innovative approaches to teaching music.
Professor Caplin has international acclaim for his contribution to many leading Norwegian choirs including the Swedish Lund University Male Choir, the Oslo University Male Choir in Norway, and presently, the internationally recognised Defrost Youth Choir. He is specialised in the psychological and pedagogical aspects of choral leadership. 

Dr. Cuskelly, currently teaches at St. Joseph’s School, Stanthorpe and is the immediate past president of The International Kodaly Society. His broad base in music education ranges from kindergarten to tertiary institutions. Dr. Cuskelly is well experienced in teacher training and has conducted workshops and sessions in many parts of the world.

Haruko Seki is described by ‘Musical Opinion’ as “a pianist with the innate ability to communicate with her audience”. Having obtained a BA degree in English Literature, she draws inspiration from both music and poetry. As a teacher at Morley College U.K., she holds the title of “Most inspiring Teacher” and apart from her work here, she also hosts summer piano courses in Northern Japan for students of all age groups.
The symposium would include, Q&A sessions, workshops and many more interactive learning activities followed by a Virtual Concert and closing ceremony showcasing talent from Norway.
Furthermore, our participants will also be given the opportunity to participate in live sessions held with representatives from Trinity College London, where open discussions will be held regarding the opportunities Trinity College has to offer Music Students during this 
global pandemic. 

Likewise, they would also be entitled to a unique set of advantages, namely, gaining a firsthand look into the latest publications of the Hal Leonard Music Publishing company, who will be introducing their latest upcoming material giving all participants a 10% discount on all publications introduced at the event through Sounds & Co - one of Sri Lanka’s leading book stores for music books, and an opportunity to attend one of the Professional Development Training Programmes conducted by CHORALSPACE International Academy for Choral Arts.
To speed things up, registrations have 
been made quick and easy enabling participants to enroll online To register, the following link can be used.