Facilitator: Ruby Solly

Ruby Solly is a taoka puoro practitioner, writer, musician, and music therapist. She is passionate about what Māori instruments, our taoka puoro, can do for whānau Māori. She is in the final stages of completing her PhD in public health on the use of taoka puoro for hauora Māori, some of the research of which was conducted with Waihao marae and whānau. As a musician and taoka puoro player, Ruby has played with artists such as Yo-yo Ma, Trinity Roots, and Whirimako Black, as well as a part of Tararua with fellow southern taoka puoro practitioners Ariana Tikao, and Alistair Fraser. Her second book, 'The Artist' explores Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, and Kāti Māmoe pūrākau through poetry and pūrakau in a verse novel form. Ruby's whānau whakapapa to Waihao marae.

Taoka puoro, or Māori instruments, can be used across our lives to help us express ourselves and connect with our tīpuna. But one of the most special times to use these taoka, is at Puaka or Matariki. During the days of the whare wānaka, tamariki would use the porotiti to help them concentrate. Or you may see taoka puoro like the kōauau or pūtātara used at Hautapu. In this session, we will learn kōrero about different taoka puoro and how we can use them. As well as learning how to make our own sounds with taoka puoro that can be found within our environments such as tumutumu kōhatu (stone percussion) and pākuru (wood percussion played on the mouth) so that we can strengthen our relationships with te taiao.

No prior knowledge of taoka puoro is needed to attend this workshop.