Spreading language through performance
A BILINGUAL musical duo are touring Dunedin to encourage toddlers to embrace their diversity.
Loopy Tunes Music, a musical duo from Christchurch, have been touring preschools around Dunedin this week. Sisters Leah WilliamsParington and Siu WilliamsLemi created the music duo 14 years ago as a way to encourage the use of Maori ¯ and Pacific languages for children.
‘‘Our children were the biggest driving force — to have something bilingual for them — and now it’s for all children,’’ Mrs WilliamsLemi said.
She was the creative director and her older sister Mrs WilliamsParington was the business director for the duo, who deliver six classes across Christchurch.
For their performance at Punavai o te Atamai Preschool in South Dunedin yesterday, the duo were asked to use eight different Pacific languages to incorporate each pupil’s culture.
‘‘Normalising hearing and using different languages is what we love . . . To be able to normalise using your own language — that’s massive to us.’’
The pair started releasing music in 2019 and had since put out 13 albums with 148 songs in total.
One hundred of those songs were produced in collaboration with Whanau ¯ whina Plunket where the duo had three months to create 10 albums in 10 different Pacific languages.
‘‘It was very, very intense. ‘‘But, we can see the fruits of our labour because kids in Dunedin are learning their languages through these songs.’’
This was the second year the pair had toured schools around the country — completely selffunded.
Mrs WilliamsParington said being able to share the songs with families around New Zealand and all over the world was a ‘‘huge gift’’.
‘‘Hearing the stories, getting messages and emails from people within our own city but also worldwide, it’s just really nice.’’
The pair had two more days of performances in Dunedin as well as a workshop where they would deliver resources to educators.