Ronella van Rensburg, PhD

Ronella van Rensburg is a Certified ATLAS.ti Student Trainer, Music Education specialist, researcher, and teacher. She recently finished writing her PhD thesis titled Investigating the Music Literacy conundrum in South African secondary schools at the University of Pretoria and graduated in September 2022. In 2021, she received the “Best PhD Research in Progress” award at the annual Faculty of Education Research Indaba.

Ronella holds a master’s degree in Music (cum laude) and received the Fanie Beetge award for the best academic postgraduate achievement at the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Free State, for both 2005 and 2006. Her research subject was The relationship between emotional intelligence and music performance anxiety. This led to her publishing two articles in the MUSICUS in July 2007: Critical Perspectives on Emotional Intelligence and Music Performance Anxiety and The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Music Performance Anxiety: An Empirical Study.

Ronella was awarded the regional winner prize in the South African National Teacher Awards in 2010. She maintains an active private music studio, ScoreS2Duo, in the center of Stellenbosch, where she specialises in piano, flute, keyboard and music theory lessons.

Qualifications

2022 PhD (Music Education), University of Pretoria, South Africa.

2022 Certified ATLAS.ti Student Trainer (Scientific Software – Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software).

2012 LLCM (Licentiate in Digital Keyboard Performance – London College of Music).

2006 MMus (Cum Laude) University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

1997 UPLM (Licentiate in Piano Performance – University of South Africa).

1996 BMus Hons – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

1992 BMus – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa (Majoring in Piano, Flute, and Psychology).

Achievements

2021 Best PhD Research in Progress award (Research Indaba University of Pretoria).

2010 Winner of SATU (South African Teachers Union) Award for Excellence (Free State).

2009 UNISA Merit Award for Excellence in Music Theory Education.

2008 UNISA Merit Award for Excellence in Music Theory Education.

2006 Fanie Beetge Award for best postgraduate achievement in the Department Humanities, University of the Free State.

2005 Fanie Beetge Award for best postgraduate achievement in the Department Humanities, University of the Free State.

2004 NRF (National Research Foundation) Merit Award.

2003 UNISA Merit Award for Excellence in Music Theory Education.

Teaching and Other Experience

2011 – 2017 Culture Head and Head of Music as a subject at Paul Roos Gymnasium

• Co-ordinated and managed the Culture and Music department at Paul Roos Gymnasium.
• Conducted the Musica Perpetua orchestra (Stellenbosch Youth Orchestra), a combined Paul Roos Gymnasium, Bloemhof and Rhenish Girls’ High School orchestra. In 2014 the orchestra won the Jazz Music Category of the US National Ensemble Competition.
• Musica Perpetua performed at the 2014 Stellenbosch Woordfees with the Cape Town Youth Orchestra (Brandon Philips) in the production “Music of Myth, Magic and Mystery”, as well as with “Die Heuwels Fantasties” (2015 – Symphonic Rebellion).
• Managed the budget of the cultural activities at Paul Roos Gymnasium, including the PRG Orchestra, Choir, Drumline, Debating team, etc.
• Responsible for fundraising regarding the Woordfees shows, etc.
• Upkeep of instruments: bought a grand piano, two upright pianos, brass instruments and drumline instruments from money raised. Instruments were donated by Proud Partners.
• Hired and coordinated peripatetic instrumental teachers for the less “popular” instrumental tuition.
• Organised scholarships (tuition fees and instruments) for pupils who could not afford it.
• Took part in the annual Stellenbosch University Ensemble Competition and won the category in 2016.
• Arranged music for the orchestra and ensembles.
• Organiser of two of the bi-annual overseas cultural exchange programmes: Germany, France, and Netherland.

2012 – 2022 UNISA National Music Examiner

2010 – 2011 Part-time Lecturer (University of the Free State)

• Lectured Piano and Digital Keyboard Students

2007 – 2010 Head: Sentraal Music Academy (Bloemfontein)

• Head of culture as well as Music as a subject at Sentraal High School.
• Managed the Sentraal Music Academy, independent financially from the Sentraal High School.
• Organised and conducted the Sentraal Music Academy Orchestra.
• Overseeing general administration and arranging monthly payments of peripatetic teachers.
• Quality checking teachers, resources, and results.

1995 – 2006 Lecturer in Piano, Keyboard and Flute (Musicon)

• Taught Piano and Keyboard to Music Teachers in the Mangaung district.
• Taught individual students Piano, Flute, and Music Theory.
• Organised the national MUSICON Piano Competition.

Publications and Research Output

2022

• Narrative Gallery Organiser and Presenter at the Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium 2022 (Stellenbosch University): Connecting the dots…
• Virtual presenter at the 35 th ISME (International Society for Music Education) World Conference (17 – 22 July 2022): The Ishikawa Cause-and-Effect Diagram: A visual vocalisation of the South African Music Literacy Education Conundrum.
• In-person presenter (and chair) at the 10 th European Conference on Arts & Humanities (ECAH2022) in London (21 – 24 July): Cause-and-Effect Analysis of Music Literacy Education in South African Secondary Schools.
• Series of Music Literacy Workbooks Gr R – 12 (#TeachMeMusicTheoryOnline)

2020

• Published Paper in “Proceedings of the International Society for Music Education 34 th World Conference on Music Education: Online 2020”. (Ed) Creech & Generale. ISBN 978-1-922303-01-1
• Published Poster and Video in “Proceedings of the 23 rd International Seminar of the ISME Music in Schools and Teacher Education Commission (MISTEC)” 2020 Virtual Seminar. (Ed) Ruthman & Bowe. ISBN: 978-1-922303-02-8 (eBook). Multimedia archived online at mistec2020.sched.com/ and youtube.com/user/isme1953/.
• Published two books as part of the Afri-Piano Series featuring pedagogical works by South African Composers. Co-working with Piano Pedagogue, Dr Liezl-Maret Jacobs, Piano Academy of Ireland.
  • Afri-Piano Series: Vol 1 Piano Pieces from South Africa ISBN 978-0-620-88003-9
  • Afri-Piano Series: Vol 2 Serious Music for Small People – Paul Loeb von Zuilenburg ISBN 978-0-620-88696-3

2007

• Jansen van Rensburg, M.P., Grobler, A.A., & Viljoen, M. The relationship between emotional intelligence and music performance anxiety: An empirical study. Musicus 2007; 35(1): 56
• Jansen van Rensburg, M.P., Grobler, A.A., & Viljoen, M. Critical perspectives on emotional intelligence and music performance anxiety. Musicus 2007; 35(1): 34