Music ticket to Norway for northern areas band
[caption id="attachment_237118" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Flute star Robyn Africa, 26, cornet player Winstonio Lawack, 18, and Erin September, 24, on the clarinet, are part of the band heading to Norway in May
Picture: Fredlin Adriaan[/caption]
Talented PE band gets chance to hone skills on exchange programme visit
A brass and woodwind band from the northern areas is heading to Norway after a successful partnership with a Norwegian professor and Nelson Mandela University.
The Mandela Metro School of Arts (MMSA), which boasts a wealth of musical talent, received an invitation to take part in an exchange programme in Norway later this year.
The two-week programme will see 40 band members experience the culture, attend rehearsals and have seminars with band conductors and teachers at The Arctic University of Norway.
MMSA, based in Bethelsdorp, was started five years ago when its founder, Alton September, recognised the need to further hone talent in the northern areas.
September, 50, of Salsoneville, said what set MMSA apart from another school in the area was the diverse age group it catered to.
“Our aim is to prepare those individuals who have shown interest, for a career in music,” he said.
“Our youngest students are 11, which is a great thing as they will be trained to read music and play an instrument from a younger age.”
September said the boys’ and girls’ Brigades in the northern areas taught the youth how to play an instrument but not necessarily how to read music.
“Obtaining the ability to read music is [acquiring] a skill that will be useful for life,” he said.
The school’s brass and woodwind band, comprising a variety of instruments such as the clarinet, trumpet, saxophone and trombone, comprises of about 40 members who will be flying to Norway in May.
Band conductor Ryan van Buchenroder, 25, of Uitenhage, said the opportunity to learn from Norwegian musicians and teachers was a once- in-a-lifetime event.
“This is a learning experience for us and to be taught by people who are far more advanced musically is a blessing. They are the top of the range in my opinion.
“This opportunity will help us better our skills,” he said.
September’s daughter Erin, 24, who plays the clarinet, said the opportunity to visit the Norwegian Band Federation would offer a great learning experience.
“My first thought was that I am really excited to see the snow,” she said.
“But more importantly, it is about experiencing the culture and bands and learning from them.”
Speaking about how the band and school had grown over the years, Erin said: “It is amazing to see how different things are now because not only have we grown in number but individually we have grown as musicians as well.”
MMSA is a non-profit organisation and welcomes people of all ages.
