by James Collins
*Additional footage by Shani Van Straaten
I met Sello and Boy when I first visited the Cullinan field band a little over a month ago. I was excited to see the band because I had heard they had some talented drummers. As much as I love working with beginners, my favorite lessons are always with the more advanced players. They tend to pick things up very quickly and really appreciate what I have to offer.
Cullinan is a small rural town outside of Pretoria. It has much less crime than the urban townships and is actually quite peaceful and clean, though, like most of South Africa, is not without its problems. For example, drug abuse is major issue in the schools.
It took me almost an hour and a half to get to Cullinan from Johannesburg on my first visit. When I arrived in town, a guy named Peter greeted me and led me to the school where the band rehearses. As we were pulling up to the field, he casually mentioned that the band’s truck driver had recently quit and that they didn’t have any instruments for rehearsal. I almost jumped out of my seat, thinking to myself, “I drove all the way up here to teach these kids and no one cared to mention that they don’t even have instruments!” But, I kept my cool and asked if there were some way to get the instrument truck to the school. Peter told me they were trying to find a new driver, but until then they would have to rehearse without instruments…
