The Rockschool syllabus is an offshoot of the internationally recognised Trinity School of Music based in England, which offers benchmark training in classical music.
Of the twenty-five pupils who sat the exam, 24 are of school age.
For Rawiri (Ra) Rogerson, a 34-year-old Gore man who sat his second year of bass exams on Monday afternoon, the syllabus offered a chance to extend his musical ability beyond the point he felt he had reached playing byear.
‘‘Being able to play something by listening to it and playing in bands is great, but it only takes you to a certain point.
‘‘I wanted something to take me further in my playing and to give me a solid grounding in music theory. I found the Rockschool syllabus heightens the depth of whatI play and the versatility of what I am able to play,'' he said.
Rogerson moved to Gore five years ago and was ‘‘pleasantly surprised to find such a high percentage of musicians''.
After gaining a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Otago, Rogerson worked at an accountancy firm before he decided to get out of the office and return to his rural background on the land.
‘‘I've been shearing for the last few years and it's been a really happy period. I've met some really great people and have been really focusing on music. Some of those people have commented that they just can't picture me in a suit, but I really want to focus on accountancy as a career now, along with my greater involvement with music.''
Dean Ashby, of the Ashby School of Music, received the Gore students' results from Rockschool examiner Jason Woolley on Wednesday. All Gore entrants, two of whom are in their third year sitting Rockschool exams, passed.
Woolley, an English multi-instrumentalist with a masters degree in music who lectures on the subject at UK universities, is in the country to take the New Zealand Rockschool exams.
Gore was his first and most southern stop and although he was only here for two nights, he was very impressed by what he saw.
‘‘The standards of musicianship have been really high. Everyone who has sat the exam has been very well prepared and this is a credit to both pupils and instructors.
‘‘It is avery beautiful area. The greens of the country are very vivid and striking and I like the wide streets and welllaid-out plan of the town. It's not like in the UK, where everything feels like it's stacked on top of something else,'' he said.
When the Rockschool results for Gore musicians are added to the recordbreaking attendance at this year's Gold Guitars Week, a regular core of 60-80 people at the monthly country music club nights, and an ‘‘out of school'' music programme that caters for more than 150 children, there is no doubting Gore has a vibrant music scene.
