Umdali Visual & Performing Arts the year of 2021 creative training starts with a Bang!

Enjoy reading our blog with articles, news, testimonials and ‘upcoming events’!

Welcome at our Blog

With an eager excitement we finally started 2021 in the middle of February. Waiting in great anticipation for the department of education to give the go ahead for lessons to start at the school premises. In the meanwhile, we met each other on zoom sessions and kicked off our lesson introductions. But nothing can replace a real class scenario. I still prefer a face-to-face lesson.

We welcomed an eager new class of 14 new Grade 10 students! Welcome onboard Umdali Visual Arts!

Time flies incredibly fast when you have fun and work hard. We are in our second term and are amazed with all the incredible work done by all our students in Term 1. 

Please view our gallery section on our website to see all their beautiful work completed for
Term 1  (Student Art Gallery)

Now for this term we are running forward, and our students are learning all kinds of new painting techniques and applying them with great energy to upgrade their artworks to a next level! We are excited to see the outcome and new artworks on its way!

On the 24th and 25th of May 2021 we met with the parents on our “Come meet Us” evening. It is always exciting to meet parents and share some valuable information to assist where we can.

The aim for the evening was for us to meet one another, share some heart AND information, guiding you into possible and available career and study opportunities in South Africa.

Please find the information and presentation at the following link (click here) 

On this note, know that our doors are always open to you if you would like to discuss any matter regarding your child’s future in the creative industry or just to discuss and receive feedback about what is happening in class. Your child’s development is important to us.

DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE AND QUIT YOUR ART PASSION

Everyone comes to a point in which we want to just give up and think we made a mistake to choose an 8th subject! 

I want to encourage you and say: DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR ART PASSION!

We offer enough guidance so that we can motivate and encourage any learner who feels that school pressure is becoming too much! 

We have implemented TIME MANAGEMENT into our lessons in which we guide and assist how to be able to cope with the workload. Read the following testimonial about a student who wanted to quit in Gr10.  

2020 was a year of many trials and perseverance for Visual Arts learners!

Last year was a tremendous learning curve for me as a teacher and because of the sudden unpredictable situation we were faced  due to the Covid storm that was upon us, I had to grab all kinds of other teaching platforms to make sure my learners did not fall behind. Luckily everybody jumped on board the ship and we were able to sail away and adapt to alternative on-line teaching methods. We quickly learned that any kind of challenge one faces can either make you anxious or allow the situation to tap into that inner survival mode to make the best of and learn from any situation.  I must say I am extremely proud of all my students who completed their Visual Arts year last year with flying colours. I even received a call from the deputy principles of one of the schools we teach Visual Arts as a subject who congratulated us for receiving distinctions in our Gr12 group.  So we reached the shore safely after the storm with many adventures and experiences behind us ready for any other challenge ahead!  Tanja van Biljon 

Testimonials

David Grove persevered all the way and achieved a distinction as a Gr12 learner during 2020 year of Covid 19!

My name is David Grové and to be an art student in 2020 meant great leaps of growth and self-development. Visual Art allowed creative individuals like myself to express how we were impacted by one of the most historic years that mankind has ever seen and I learnt very quickly that perseverance was a key element in making the year a successful one and the art class provided me with a reliable and sturdy support network to do so. My fellow art peers and I took every challenge head on because we knew we weren’t alone. In my three year journey with Umdali Institute not only did my artistic skills develop significantly, but it also brought balance and stability to my busy everyday life. 

Visual art helped me to receive a 50% study bursary

Visual arts helped me to develop my arts skills. At the beginning of Grade 10 I felt like I was behind the rest of the class and I wanted to quit because of this. Thanks to my teacher and my parents supporting me I was able to get past this and improve. Visual Arts taught me to push through these barriers in my life. Thanks to Visual Arts I was able to achieve my goal to study graphic design as well as to receive a scholarship. Without Umdali Visual Arts this would not have been possible. I am now confident that I will achieve my dreams.

a Word from Umdali Dancer

‘Small, consistent steps…’

 I am pretty sure that by now the reality of not going back to normal – which is a pre pandemic state – has started to sink in for most of us.  We are adapting more and more to this way of life and of finding ways to move on with life once again, though there is no blue print or recipe on how to do it.  We all have a different experience on this journey, being at different phases than one another.  But the one thing we have in common is the desire to move forward, however it may be. 

As a performing artist, I’ve experienced this change in various ways.  Rewinding back to level 5 lockdown all physical performances, shows, projects on set, studio time, collaborations and classes had to stop. No matter whether it was still in production or scheduled for production. At first, I was very optimistic and saw this as a break from everyday life to focus on all the independent projects I had not finished due to lack of time.  This optimism turned to excitement as I had a few projects that needed some TLC and I was eager to dive right in.  But as the first week went by, I realized everyone and everything stopped. Not just me, but the resources I would have to use as well and the reality sunk in that this is not going to be easy.  Slowly but surely the adapting process begun and very soon after a few trials and errors I found myself discouraged and overwhelmed with failure – and it is only week two!  This left me spiraling down in a state of ‘what’s the point even in trying?’. 

Not to bore you with the details, let’s fast forward through all the motions and feels which I’m sure you can relate with and it’s been more than a year already with life going on in some way.  Just when things start to look a bit more at ease and brighter, there’s a new wave coming and restrictions are applied, leaving us to adapt again.  To put on hold the engines we just got running again.  Up and down, side to side our plans and schedules are tossed and turned.  This is exhausting and would drive anyone to discouragement in something they once viewed as fun and fulfilling.  And so, I find myself at a point where I am not nearly where I wanted to be in my development and progress.  In fact, I feel I went backwards and whatever time I do set out for a dance routine, writing some songs, do vocal exercises or anything creative requires double the effort and mental focus.  That’s because I am attempting this with a ‘I want it all and I want it now’ mentality.  I take big leaps every now and then hoping to get back to where I once was and beyond.

If you are relating to what I’ve said so far as a student and an aspiring artist yourself, then I hope I can deliver some encouragement for you today.  Through all the change and motions I’ve come to realize that whenever I made real progress in my life, it was due to small and consistent steps.  Progress was only visible after a few months of being diligent and faithful in the small things.  Not spending hours every once in a while in the studio stretching my body or doing vocal runs and riffs.  But spending a few minutes a day in something as simple as a warm up, whether it’s for my voice to sing or my body to dance.

 Take your classes as an example.  Don’t rush the session or material thinking you will reach your goal quicker.  Or even worse, don’t view your class as practice for the week.  Whatever you learn in class is for practicing in your own time for the rest of the week until your next class.  Keep it small and consistent, so that it can adapt quickly to our ever-changing lives and soon enough with time flying by so fast you will see the things you struggled with before has become second nature.

Visual Arts Gallery Outing 2021