Paulina Nekandjo Paulus wants to be the reason people play the keyboard/piano.
She has been teaching keyboard since 2015.
“It is an awesome job because it doesn’t require me to expose myself to the sun due to my skin condition. During my own training, I captured my mentor’s teaching tactics, and those are the ones that I have been using,” she told Youth Corner.
Paulus (34) explained that she teaches theory as well as practical keyboard, so students can have a better understanding of the musical instrument.
“I am always motivated because, on a daily basis, people are coming in big numbers to attend lessons. But I have grouped them to come at different time slots because the classroom is small; they cannot fit all at the same time,” she said.
Paulus has trained numerous people who are now working for themselves.
After training, she sends students on job attachments for two months.
“After completion of the job attachment, the student writes an examination. Upon passing, the student will get a certificate that she/he has attended piano training, and will then be able to pass the skills and knowledge on to other people”.
Paulus noted that learning piano has no age limit, and everyone is welcome to learn keyboard piano. One can register for N$ 300 once-off, and a monthly fee of N$500 per student is then payable over the duration of the one-year course.
Lessons take place Mondays to Fridays.
Her biggest challenge is a lack of sponsorship in order to build more classrooms and acquire more equipment, since the keyboard piano lessons are now in demand.
Her motivational words to the youth are: “The sky is the limit. The youth must not just be at home waiting for people to be helping them all the time. Stand up and come to piano training so that you get knowledge. In that way, one can get an income and skills that they can pass on to others”.
“To the elders, piano is a beautiful thing indeed. You can keep yourself busy and entertain yourself at home and others.”
Paulus is based at the Shell Superior service station near the Niimboto complex in Ondangwa. She can be reached on her Facebook page: Paulina Nekandjo Paulus.
Meanwhile, she has accepted her disability, and it was never a setback in her life. She thus believes that she can also do things like other people.