| Brief History of the South African Association for Jazz Education |
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The founding conference of SAJE took place at the University of Witwatersrand in 1992 with the then President of IAJE (International Association for Jazz Educators) Prof Dennis Tini in attendance. Subsequently, conferences were held every two years at the University of Natal, Durban (1994), University of Cape Town (1996), Rhodes University, Grahamstown (1998), University of Natal (2000), Pretoria Technikon (2002), University of Cape Town (2004), University of KwaZulu-Natal (2006) and University of Cape Town (2008). Members come from all geographic regions of the country and include professional musicians and student members as well as music teachers from community projects, secondary and tertiary institutions. Board members and Officers are elected to a two-year term of office, serving until the next conference. Logistics and funding considerations make it too difficult to have an annual national conference, but Board members meet between Conferences and members receive newsletters three times a year. In 2009 we introduced the first SAJE Festival which was hugely successful and well attended. The SAJE Festival will now occur every two years – thus alternating with the SAJE Conference. Sponsorship for conferences has come principally from SAMRO (South African Music Rights Organisation) which is a non-profit company formed to administer and protect the rights of South African composers and promote the composing of new music. Other sponsors include host institutions (universities) and participating organizations. As with all large academic societies, much of the value has been the international exchanges and networking that bring fresh perspectives and methods to bear on music education in South Africa. The following jazz educators have visited and taught in South Africa: Bart Marantz, Bill Prince, Chris Merz, Butch Miles, Richard Syracuse, Dustin Cox, Dennis Tini, Chris Collins, Bob Sinicrope, John Fedchock, Mike Rossi, John Edward Hasse, Bobby Shew, Fredrik Noren, John Baboian, Ron McCurdy, Willie Hill, Gloria Cooper, Ruben Alvarez and John Thomas amongst others. Locally, members are working to upgrade the understanding and practice of music of all kinds, however our primary aim during this relatively early period of existence in South Africa is to introduce jazz education wherever feasible, especially at secondary level. SAJE members are therefore eager to offer expertise and effort towards incorporating more jazz-related skills and studies in the national syllabus. The most important jazz education activity on a national level is the annual National Schools Jazz Festival in Grahamstown which was started by Mike Skipper, former secretary of SAJE. Alan Webster of Stirling High School is now the director of this very popular and valuable education event. www.youthjazz.co.za The distance between members and affiliated institutions remains a challenge to the establishment of a more cohesive interaction within the organisation, and the way forward here is undoubtedly the internet, a comprehensive SAJE website and other forms of communication like the SAJE Newsletter and FACEBOOK.
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