Two music legends are bringing education opportunities to their hometown by teaming up to deliver a guitar course to two kura.

Antony Pirihi of Tribal Connections had just moved home to Tōrere earlier this year when he heard Te Kura o Te Whānau-a-Apanui and Te Kura o Tōrere had no music programmes.

“I started with a part-time position at Te Kura o Te Whānau-a-Apanui in September, and reached out to Josh for some advice,” Mr Pirihi said.

Josh Rogers – also a successful musician from Tōrere – taught Mr Pirihi guitar when he was attending Ōpōtiki College. Mr Rogers is the creator of the successful online NBN Guitar programme, which he has recently begun trialling in schools.

“I asked if he had any tips for a starting-out music teacher, and he suggested his course,” Mr Pirihi said.

Mr Rogers donated the course to the Year 9s and 10s at Te Whānau-a-Apanui and following the quick success of the 20 students there, Te Kura o Torere offered Mr Pirihi another part-time role and Mr Rogers another kura and nine intermediate students to trial the course this year..

“It’s going great. Some have their own guitars now, and it’s opened a whole new world of music,” Mr Pirihi said. “We are preparing them for Year 11 music, to go onto other qualifications.”

Online self-directed learning means students can test themselves and practise at home between lessons.

The course features videos of Mr Rogers giving lessons, learning to read and write notation and tablature, music theory, and different guitar techniques for picking and strumming.

“Josh’s way of teaching is so down to earth, it’s just like having him right there with us,” Mr Pirihi said.

Feedback from students has been glowing, with all reporting “this is fun”.

There has also been noticeably improved attendance by some students since the course was introduced.

“Because the course is online, it’s the way of the future, and it’s right up their alley.”

Other students enjoy the sheer quantity of learning available, describing it as “endless”.

“Across the board, it’s not just music but it’s helping their numeracy and literacy skills. I’m proud to be a part of it,” Mr Pirihi said.

He has noticed a lot of natural talent in students from both kura.

“It can lead to things beyond your wildest dreams, and Josh and I are living proof of that.”

Student Houia Hotene said his favourite song to learn, in his second lesson, was Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.

Year 8 student Kyla Edwards is doing particularly well and hopes to take her learning to new levels when she goes to college next year.

Mr Rogers visited the Te Kura o Tōrere class for their final guitar lesson of the year to see his course in action.

“It’s amazing seeing the effect; it’s obviously being delivered super well by Antony,” he said.

“It’s kind of how I can give back to my community and my hometown. Some people can lend you their digger, or help you build a fence. I can play guitar, and I’m not too bad a teacher, and it contributes to the community positively.”

The course was written and filmed in Korea during the pandemic and the website developed by his wife, Sue Rogers.

“It started as a YouTube channel. I wanted to make quality guitar lessons accessible to anyone, anywhere. If you were living in a remote village in Nepal with a guitar and Internet access, you could still learn.

“People who can’t read music or tab have somewhere to start.”

He said he’d had comments from people saying the lessons helped them through the Covid-19 pandemic or contributed to their journey to overcome addiction.

“When you’re making it, you never really know how it’s going to influence someone somewhere,” he said.

“That’s the beauty of the Internet. The teacher is in the room with you, they’re never going to get angry if you ask them to repeat themselves or rewind the video,” he said.

Reports are created inside the website so schools and teachers can track the progress of students and how much time they are spending on each session.

When it came to schools, he wants to provide lessons for students who have no access to a guitar teacher. The perfect opportunity for a pilot programme came earlier this year when Mr Pirihi approached him for advice. “Music is so strong down here in Tōrere.”

Mr Rogers bought guitar stands and tuners as rewards for this year’s school prizegiving for standout guitarists, most diligent, most improved and overall outstanding.

He is hoping to bring a free trial of NBN Guitar to more schools throughout Aotearoa and has a particular passion for rural schools that might not otherwise have a music teacher.

Interested schools can visit https://nbnguitar.com/for-schools/  to find out more, or contact Mr Rogers directly on 027 413 7791.

Anyone signing up to NBN guitars individually can visit https://nbnguitar.com/.