Piano Association of Solomon Islands (PASI) – An update on the Association and achievements of the students
The Piano Association of the Solomon Islands (PASI) is continuing to give music education and music training to the talented young musicians that are members.
One student is now proficient in playing the violin.
Because of the limitations imposed by Covid threat, the members have not met as regularly as before. However, the youngsters are doing their own practices at home and are contributing to the respective churches and gatherings that they are attending.
Very soon the Association will be presenting certificates of achievement for the theory and the practical exams that the students have sat from the (Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) and the Australia and New Zealand Music Cultural Arts Limited (ANZCAL).
The exams were sat in December 2019. Due to COVID the students were not able to travel to Australia last year and this year.
The Association is very grateful to have been given 2 electric keyboards that were donated by a church group in Australia. Similarly, two other units have been donated by individuals and families in Australia.
PASI does great work in giving young people music education and lessons not yet, to my knowledge, part of any higher level school education training. The association is worthy of government and public support for the outstanding work that it does.
Before the start of the Covid pandemic the association was assisted for a month with its music education programme by a group of UK professional musicians, the Dionysus Ensemble, with close bonds with the Commonwealth Institute. I was involved in the Ensemble travelling to Honiara and delighted that, through fund raising in the UK, they made the journey and appreciative of the kind assistance of the British High Commissioner the Ensemble were given local accommodation. I was grateful too to Solomon Airlines for assisted air passages from Brisbane.
At the end of the Ensemble’s stay, several of the PASI students demonstrated their improved music talents in a public performance at St Barnabas Cathedral before a large audience.
I thank the dedicated music teachers of PASI for their voluntary work in giving deserving youths a quality education in music and instrument playing.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
