KiNZ Ōtara has been involved with the Sistema Aotearoa Pūoro Pīrere Programme for several years now and we absolutely value the benefits and positive learning outcomes it has provided for our ākonga (children).

The passion and love for sharing the musical experiences by the Sistema Aotearoa team is so evident in the planning and delivery of the programme. Some of our parents and whānau, who are predominantly Māori and/or from the Pacific Islands, stay for the sessions and join in themselves, alongside their tamariki (children), with delight.

We are a very inclusive centre with several children who have additional learning needs. The whaea (music teachers) demonstrate strong inclusive practice and are responsive to the needs of tamariki in the group. This includes young tamariki of the age of two years old. This group of tamariki love the new experience and engage with eagerness throughout the session.

For many of our tamariki, the sessions are the highlight of their week. They come running to the door when they see the musicians arrive. They have learnt so much, such as rhythm, counting, self-regulation, participation, listening, collaboration and even musical notation. A few of our tamariki have drawn their own musical notation spontaneously after a session, showing their love of learning about music and wanting to share it with others. Being able to hear music being performed by real musicians with real musical instruments is just amazing for them and we appreciate it too. It has encouraged our kaiako with musical skills and who play instruments to play them more regularly in the centre too.

Some of our older children use what they learn outside the sessions too, making up their own small groups to revisit what they are learning.

Some of the songs are sung in te reo Māori and some Pacific Island languages. This is so important for our tamariki as this reflects their ethnicities and values their culture and language. Whaea also use te reo Māori and some Pacific Island languages in their interactions too. This also supports our bicultural curriculum of Te Whāriki which emphasises our bicultural foundation, our multicultural present and the shared future we are creating.

The face-to-face sessions were a much-anticipated regular event at the centre until Covid-19 interrupted the centre visits.

The videos that were sent to us in lockdown were a fantastic way to keep us connected to the Programme and we shared them with parents and whānau on Storypark, our parent portal. We were very thankful that tamariki continued to have the opportunity to be involved in the sessions as this provided consistency and consolidation of learning they had already experienced.

The Sistema Aotearoa Programme is such an integral part of our programme and they are so respected in the South Auckland community. We love seeing our tamariki go on to the local Primary Schools and watch them perform at the end of the year when we are invited and attend the concerts. The seamless approach to music across the year groups is awesome as it brings families together. We love being part of that, and growing future young musicians. The musicians themselves who deliver the programme are so committed and passionate about music that this exudes from them and tamariki feel this from them.