Head of Performing Arts for South Australia's Pulteney Grammar School, Jonathon Rice BA, Grad Dip Ed, MBA, speaks with APATA's Yolande Smith in this episode of the APATA podcast.

2022 saw Pulteney Grammar School win the APATA National Performing Arts School of the Year Award and Jonathon reflects on the dogged determination of his school community to embolden students with a broad range of learning opportunities, including their award-winning performing arts offerings.

"We are a contemporary, traditional, liberal, co-educational school in a private setting, but we also are becoming very good in the sense of providing a broad opportunity for our students to be involved and engaged with performing arts. And that's really exciting."

Pulteney Grammar School is the second oldest school in the country celebrating their 175-year-old history in 2022 and is following a strategic direction that will see it last many more years into the future. 

Jonathon is passionate about performing arts education and developing programs that engage young people with music, drama or dance, so these students can find their tribe and explore all the amazing opportunities the performing arts offers young people in our 21st century world.

Educated in the South Australian public education system holding a scholarship to Woodville High School Special Music Program as a trumpeter being taught by several significant teachers including Standish Roberts (then principal trumpet ASO), Jennifer Rosevear and Jonathon Draper. He studied music performance at the then South Australian College of Advanced Education in Adelaide (1981 – 1983) and once again greatly benefited from a world class education from teachers like Bob Hower, Stephen Wittington, Hal Hall and Brain Chatterton among others.

He then taught in Queensland for 2 years (Cairns in 1984 and Brisbane in 1985), before returning to Adelaide to complete his Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary Music) in 1986. After several years in country SA then 7 years in Special Education (Townsend School for Vision Impaired), he then moved into the Catholic then independent school systems in both Victoria (Director of Music at Ballarat and Clarendon College) and South Australia (Director of Music at St Aloysius College Adelaide).

Along Jonathon’s professional journey he has owned and operated two hotels and became general manager of a significant hospitality business in 2011 including creating and operating a live jazz music venue.

Read transcript HERE

Read more about Jonathon Rice and Pulteney Grammar HERE

Watch the 2022 APATA Award Presentation for Pulteney Grammar HERE

www.pulteney.sa.edu.au

Facebook: @pulteney

Episode page on apata.com

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