South African Choral Music (Amakwaya): Song, Contest and the ...

B) Some Perspectives on Future Development
• The current trend is towards opera at the expense of all other repertoire
• The prescribed pieces tend to be far too difficult for the majority of choirs
taking part in the competitions
• Clinics and workshops are designed to help the choristers with an orthodox
interpretation of the prescribed pieces
• Workshops provide little in terms of hands-on experience for the conductors
and choristers
• Competitions and workshops give the impression to the choirs that musical
standards are being issued from on high - as a consequence the choirs do
not develop self-sufficient aesthetic and musical judgement
• Clinging to tonic sol-fa impedes progress
These findings together with the comments of conductors and choristers point to the steps that
should be taken to secure a way forward. Many of the problems are caused by lack of resources.
One of the greatest challenges for amakwqya will be to identify and implement models for the crea­
tion of resources that can ensure sustainable development in the specific situation of this choral
practice in post-Apartheid South Africa. A number of initiatives have been taken in the direction of
creating festivals and training facilities. I want now briefly to refer to these new ventures.
B) Some Perspectives on Future Development
383
There is more to music making than a com-
.. 25
petttton.
It is not as if the problems I have referred to have not been recognised. In fact officials seem to be
well aware of a number of difficulties, relating to current competition practice. Since the educative
side of competitions puts a great deal of responsibility into the hands of the organisers and, in particular,
the adjudicators, it is to them that many of these suggestions are directed.
Competition versus Festival
Competition in its present form has, as I have argued, limited and in some instances even prevented
the proper development of choral singing (see 9.4). In calling for a re-evaluation of current compe­
tition practice, then, I should like to see the exploration of alternatives that might supplement
rather than replace competitions. My intention is to let the critical voices from within the choral
community be heard, when they say that, even though competitions surely serve a certain purpose,
the exclusive concentration on this medium necessarily leads to limitations. As Mokale Koapeng
argues, choirs are sacrificing
the spirit of free music making. Just enjoying performance and enjoying the luxury of knowing that if
you make a mistake in a performance, it's part of a performance. Nobody is going to shoot you down
for that mistake. You don't have that kind of spirit in a competition. There, everything has to be tight.
One can feel the tension in there. 26
He strongly believes that rather than concentrating on competitive events, the choral community
should start encouraging individualism and creativity. Choirs, Koapeng argues, «don't have to prove
25 Personal communication with Mokale Koapeng,Johannesburg, Parkhurst, February 13, 2001.
26 Ibid.