Cape Town – More music education is needed at schools as the “incredible” musical talent growing up in disadvantaged communities has to be properly nurtured, said the two facilitators who ran the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF)’s school bands development programme.
Cape Town jazz pianist and music teacher Camillo Lombard said during the weeks, he and saxophonist Donveno Prins were working with the eight schools selected to be part of the CTIJF music and career programme, they found that at some schools they “could write out score music charts and the musicians could play it”.
“At other schools, the youngsters don’t know how to read music and we have to teach it to them by ear. So in getting the music to them and going through the processes, reawakens us to the view that we need to have more music education in schools. We need to up the game, in terms of musical education.”
Lombard and Prins who have been running the programme for seven years, not only teach music, they teach performance, stage presence, “occupying and owning the stage”, slick dance moves for the brass section, guitarists and vocalists and how appearance enhances and adds entertainment value to the performance."
“We teach them improvisation styling. Some of them can’t improvise, so we give them tools, scales to practice at home and we teach them how to be free in that context,” said Lombard.
Arrangements worked out for the school bands and the skills learnt in the workshops become part of their repertoire, said Prins who commended the calibre of the musicians and their commitment to their music.
“The other wonderful thing about the programme is that it does not end here with the schools festival. The All Star ban play together for the rest of the year, besides playing in their own school bands. Previous All Star Bands from 2014, 2015 and 2016 still perform together,” said Prins.
Lauding the camaraderie that forms between the young musicians who play at festivals from Jazz on the Lawn to Jazz on the Rocks to Joy of Jazz, Lombard said many of the youths wanted to pursue careers in music because of the programme.
Since the inception of the programme, much had changed, as there was greater technical support, venues, infrastructure and other assistance, said Lombard.
CTIFJ festival director Billy Domingo said it was time a facility for youth jazz was established, where workshops can be held, teachers can share techniques and ideas, as they have to “give the kids a future, give them a platform from which to launch their future”.