Anita Hoekstra could never have imagined her idea for a music concert per term would transform students and the curriculum at Warrnambool Primary School. Nine years and 36 concerts later, Mrs Hoekstra's Musica Prima held its last concert on Thursday at the school. "There weren't many music teachers at the school nine years ago," she said. "I did a survey asking students if they had music in their households, if they'd heard of instruments like the French Horn or if they'd played a piano and the response was really poor. "I brought this to the attention of the board and I asked if we could have a concert a term to bring more music into the school and they said yes." Mrs Hoekstra, an accomplished pianist and teacher in her own right, gathered her musical contacts to organise the free concerts to bring a range of genres and instruments into the Jamieson Street primary school. The Tin Shed singers performed for Warrnambool Primary School at Anita Hokestra's final Musica Prima. "I'm really passionate about passing on music," she said. "I've had music all my life, my mother was an opera singer and my father was an organist and I started playing young. "If we don't have children playing music, there will be no one to fill the shoes of our orchestras." The program grew and was allocated funding from local trusts, allowing students to hire and take violin lessons for free for a year on top of the growing list of instrumental music programs at the school. "We now have lots of instruments here and all sorts of choirs, duos and bands," Mrs Hoekstra said. "A little girl came up to me and said she wanted to start a choir. She went and got three of her friends and the four of them sang to me. "A child once left a concert and said to his teacher 'now there's music in my heart'. "I've always wanted Musica Prima to bring a smile to the children and for them to learn, love and appreciate music." Musica Prima saw everything from jazz, classical, vocals, folk, Irish, blue grass and solo performers grace the Warrnambool Primary School stage. "A big thank you must go to all the performers who donated their time and energy to show the children that music is fun," she said. "Performers have closed their offices, surgeries and law firms to come and perform for the school. "They've come from Hamilton and Colac and all of them do it because they feel they same as I - it's important for children to be introduced to music." A child once left a concert and said to his teacher 'now there's music in my heart'. Musica Prima is embedded within Warrnambool primary and has helped establish a strong music program at the school. Mrs Hoekstra will remain as a piano teacher at the school and now hopes to take the program to other schools in need of music. Warrnambool Primary School principal Peter Auchettl believes Mrs Hoekstra has been instrumental in bringing music to students' lives. "The work Anita has done has given children the opportunity to access music and has broadened our programs across the whole school," he said. "Her gentle nature with the students has meant they've come to love music. "Now children can learn saxophone, violin, keyboards, guitar, drums and vocals and that's something we wouldn't have had five years ago."
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