Kia ora koutou. Nau mai, haere mai!
Welcome to the Specialist Music Programme, or SMP as we call it. It is my privilege to be the president of SMP alongside colleagues dedicated to working at the highest levels with our musical young people. It always amazes me how our young musicians seem to get better and better, producing musical performances of an incredibly high quality, and I am proud of what members of SMP continually achieve. It is also a pleasure for me to be amongst my fellow musicians – both young and old – enjoying the passion that drives us all.
We want to share this with every young person that comes to us, so if you have musical talent, we want to hear from you. I hesitate to use the over-used word “gifted” as I see the tremendous amount of hard work that goes on as the young musicians strive to be the best they can be, while their teachers and tutors make every effort to maximise the opportunities to help guide them towards their dreams. However, finding your true direction in life is a gift and one of the most rewarding gifts is that of music. It will be a constant companion through life and never let you down.
So, enjoy looking at what the SMP can offer you as you scroll through the following pages. In the meantime, I will leave you with one of my favourite whakatauki (Māori proverbs) as I feel that it sums up what SMP and making music is all about:
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
With your basket and my basket the people will live.
Dr Patrick Shepherd
SMP President