I find myself now in the strange position of being between journeys. My Fulbright year in South Africa is officially over and the next phase of my life has yet to begin. I am extremely busy, but everything I’m doing has to do with closing one chapter and opening another. I’m selling my car and moving out of my apartment, while trying to book camp sights in Botswana and fuel sources in Zimbabwe. It is hectic, but exciting. Times like these are special though, because they allow you to look at the past and future without being stuck in any one place. And it is through this lens that I have begun to look back on my year in South Africa.

It is strange to think that twelve months ago I was still nervously making my way, trying to figure out how to survive in this “harsh” environment. I was disoriented, worried about security, and hadn’t figured out where I would be teaching or even where I would be living. Now, I look back on that time with a bit of amusement. The things that seemed so difficult then are a breeze now and life in South Africa has become completely comfortable. In fact, the idea of living in the US again seems kind of strange to me now!

The experience of living in a foreign country and getting to know new and beautiful cultures has been one of the greatest and most defining experiences of my life. I have so many wonderful stories to tell from this year that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I have traveled all over South Africa and have managed to see bits of Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe as well. I have gotten to know the Field Band Foundation from the bottom up and the top down, and I have made many lasting friendships which I will cherish. I have bettered myself personally and have also learned a lot about life.

I originally thought that my year would be defined by my Fulbright project and the work I would do with the Field Band Foundation. But, I had no idea how powerful the experience of simply living here would be. The memories that stand out in my head are not the lessons I taught or the films I made, but rather the moments when I found myself hopelessly and happily fixed in present time, living.

I remember vividly the first time I visited a township and was shocked by the images of poverty which I now somehow take for granted. I remember staring out from my car window and gaping at a row of unearthly baobab trees in Limpopo and thinking, “I really am in Africa!” I remember watching a single tear stream down the face of one of my students when he found out that he would not be able to go to Norway with the National Field Band. I remember dancing one night in the middle of a township in the Northern Cape as two young black children stared at me with the most beautifully innocent curiosity. I remember so many moments like these, where time seemed to stop and the full perceptions of everything around me just took over.

South Africa is a unique and special place. I’ve grown to love it dearly, but did not always have such positive feelings. Life can be very complicated here. Crime is never far away, race relations are often troublesome, and basic infrastructural issues, like power outages, broken traffic lights, and failing roads, are becoming a major problem. These are the things that keep many people away from South Africa and which scared me quite a bit when I first arrived. But, once I got past this and began to really look at this country for what it is behind all of that, I saw something very beautiful.

South Africa is a multicultural society in the fullest sense of the term. Even within the many races that exist here, there are a multitude of cultures and subcultures. I have become fascinated with how it all works and the fact that somehow, despite the abhorrent history of this country and the cultural differences which abound, people can actually live together as South Africans. There is still plenty of racism, disparity, and governmental problems, but it is a free society and one which has triumphed one of the greatest tests in history.

No matter what people may say, the magic of South Africa, glorified during the years of Nelson Mandela’s rule, is still alive. It is alive in every person who can put race aside, even if for a moment, and treat a person simply as another human being, or as fellow South African. I see this happen all the time, even if it is never reported or even noticed. People are often so concerned about racial tensions and the many other problems in this country that they often fail to see the holes being broken in racial barriers.

It was a very special experience for me as a white man to work in black South African communities and to really get to know theses areas. I gained an enormous amount of cultural perspective and understanding of South Africa, which I will treasure forever. But, I think, perhaps my students gained more than I did from this arrangement. I showed them that they could trust me and may just have changed their perspective on racial issues in the process. I first became aware of this when Sello, one of my students, made a comment while I was filming him that I had showed him that “white people, they love black people.” This very innocent and generalized statement really struck me. If I was actually somehow responsible for changing my students’ opinions on race, what else might I be teaching them?

In my first post, I wrote that, “my project deals with the importance of music in childhood education.” And that’s very much how I looked at what I was doing for a long time. I was simply teaching music. But, while I was showing my students a certain technique or telling them about drumming in America, apparently there was more too it.

When I first started working for the Field Band Foundation, several people stressed in their conversations that the foundation is a life skills program which simply uses the medium of music and dance to reach children. While I understood this concept, it never really hit home until recently. The music really is just the thing that brings everyone together under one roof (or one field in this case). But, it is the interactions and the process of working together and learning from each other that makes the program really work. When I think about it, I realize that I learned an enormous amount from my students, and very little of it had to do with music.

In the end, I think that I may have had more of an impact than I suspected. And my drummers won the National Championships too! So, despite any doubts I may have had along the way, I am really proud of everything I did. I honestly can’t imagine a better thing to have done for a year. I managed to do all the things I love doing and picked up some true life lessons along the way. I think I will live the rest of my days with at least a bit of that South African magic running through my veins.

Thank you for reading my blog. It’s been a blast to write and I really appreciate the comments you’ve sent me and the interest you’ve had in my work. I will be starting a new blog soon and will continue my work in music and film. I don’t think I’ll be able to avoid doing a bit more teaching either! Feel free to contact me at jimcol@gmail.com. Thanks again, and, as they say in Zulu, Hamba Kahle – go well.

As you may recall from last year, the National Championships is the culminating event held each year for the many bands that comprise the Field Band Foundation. The groups come to Johannesburg from all over the country to compete for top honors in several different categories. Each band has to put a twelve-minute show together and compete in one of two divisions: the First Division or the Premiere Division. The First Division is for younger bands and low-scoring groups from the previous year’s Premiere Division competition. The Premiere Division is for the top bands. Also, as part of the two-day event, there is a solo and ensemble competition and a “prescribed piece” competition in which the bands perform a set piece composed for the event.

I attended last year’s championships just four days after I arrived in South Africa. I was feeling quite nervous about the fact that I had just moved to a country with one of the highest crime rates in there world, where I knew no one and had no idea of how to get around. But, as soon as the first band marched onto the field and began to play, my fears melted. I remember looking out at the excitement in front of me and thinking that this was going to be good after all.

A year later, I found myself in the same stadium watching the same bands perform similar music. Yet, this time around, it was a completely different experience. Instead of watching a sea of foreign faces, I was looking at friends and people who I had come to know and love. I felt a strong connection to each band since I had visited them all at least once during the course of the year. I knew where they came from, I could remember the school where they rehearsed, and I knew many of the personalities in each group. As I walked around and stadium, I found myself shaking hands and greeting people all over. It was like all the experiences I had had over the course of the year had suddenly come together in one massive celebration of music and dance.

As you may know, I focused most of my teaching efforts on the Cullinan Field Band. Even though they had come in last place at last year’s Championships, I was feeling a lot of hope for them and knew that they could win something at this year’s competition. I had spend many months working with the drummers, and the foundation had also put a lot of resources into the band this year. They sent the foundation’s top dancer to lead the group for several months, then they sent two Norwegian music teachers to work with the band, and finally posted two South Africans who had just returned from a year of study in Norway as the new band directors.

I watched the band grow over the course of the year and it was amazing to see the changes that hard work and competent leadership can create. Though the road to the championships wasn’t always smooth, the band had developed a core of dedicated plays who I knew could carry them through.

As you can imagine, my heart was pumping when Cullinan stepped onto the field at the Championships. Earlier in the year, they were devastated to hear that they would have to perform in the First Division because of their poor performance in the 2007 Championships. But, as I watched their faces on the field, I saw pride and confidence, not shame. They played their program far better than ever before. I found myself crying as I tried to rush around with my camera to film every bit of it

Later, I watched my drum students perform in the percussion ensemble competition while I floated around filming the many events in the Solo and Ensemble competition. I also watched Sello (the boy from several of my videos in earlier posts) compete in the percussion solo competition, and one of my students competed in the solo dance competition as well. It was a thrill to see so much creativity and individual talent as I walked around the various sections.

When the announcer came to the microphone at the end of the day to announce the winners, there were butterflies in my stomach. Though perhaps I shouldn’t really have cared about the prizes (the FBF is about improving lives, not winning competitions), I was rooting for Cullinan all the way. In the end, they did better than I could have imagined. They won for the best percussion and best brass sections in their division. They also won the percussion ensemble competition, and scored second for the prescribed piece. Even Sello and my student who entered the dance competition won in their respective solo divisions. Those last four were all out of the entire foundation, not just the First Division, so they really proved themselves. It was thrilling to see these kids who had worked so hard and who I had come to know so well get validated for everything they had done. And then to top it off, the band won the First Division championship! All in all, they collected seven prizes, far more than any other band.

The Premiere Division the next day had it’s own highlights though nothing for me could beat the previous day’s excitement with Cullinan winning. Many of the bands in the Premiere Division reached a level of performance that wouldn’t have been thought possible in the Field Band Foundation several years ago. Often, when people watch the field bands perform, they say how great they are considering the tough backgrounds they come from and the relatively few resources they have. But, the top bands have reached a level that is just simply good, no qualifications necessary. That is a big step for the foundation and it shows an enormous amount of progress.

It was a bit sad at the end of the day to realize that my year with the Field Band Foundation was over. For so long, it had seemed like the FBF was just another part of my life. As I walked back to my car I had the strange feeling that I had been just a small and transient part of a much bigger entity. One year is really not much time in the scheme of things, but I am still so proud of everything that I did. I was also really touched by the many thanks-yous and compliments I got from my students. One guy even gave me a trophy, which was probably the sweetest gift I’ve ever received. I will surely continue to help the foundation going forward, but I have the deepest respect for those who will continue to devote their lives to bettering lives through music and dance in the Field Band Foundation.

I’m including some photos below and also a few roughly edited video clips from the Championships, featuring the Cullinan band and the percussion ensemble (drum line). If I had more time, I would make a full video, but I leave South Africa very soon and there are miles to go before I sleep. I think you’ll get the picture anyway. Also, I will also be producing a DVD in December featuring all the videos I made this year. Feel free to email me (jimcol@gmail.com) if you’d like to get a copy when it’s finished.

The Norwegian Band Federation and the Norwegian Peace Corps (Fredskorpset) have done a lot for the Field Band Foundation. Every year they send six Norwegian musicians to South Africa to teach music, discipline and organization to the field bands. The Field Band Foundation also sends several of their members to Norway to teach South African music and culture. It is a unique learning experience and has produced many great results for the FBF and the Norwegians as well. The program is funded by the Norwegian government and the 2008 Field Band tour served as a showcase of the success of the exchange, as well as a very entertaining international highlight to the festival.

Whereas the Field Band Foundation prides itself on its energy, spontaneity and (for lack of a better term) “African-ness”, Norwegian marching bands tend to be much more formal, disciplined and militaristic. In fact, the country’s most highly regarded marching band, the King’s Guard, is a military band through and through. But, this stark contrast between the Norwegians and the South Africans was really wonderful to see and audiences at every stop were blown away by the energy and warmth of the field band. In one scene from my video (posted below), you’ll see the Kings Guard followed immediately by the field band, and I think you’ll see what I mean about this contrast.

Though the performances were spectacular and beyond all my expectations, perhaps the most memorable moments of the tour for me were the many fun and often hilarious events that happened in between the performances. Wherever we went, there was a constant flow of energy and enthusiasm though the band. Whether they were rapping in Zulu, cracking jokes, singing traditional songs or playing pick-up soccer, every moment seemed to be filled with activity and fun. I got to know the group quite well and really enjoyed spending time with them as a friend and not just a teacher. I generally only see my students in South Africa during the scheduled times that I teach, so this opportunity was really special for me and definitely one of the highlights of my year with the Field Band Foundation.

Though I joined the tour as an innocent cameraman, I got conscripted into driving the instrument truck, then shuttling people around in a beat-up van after our bus broke down, and even acting as tour director for a couple of days when the person in charge got sick! So the tour was definitely pretty eventful for me too and though it got a bit stressful at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would gladly do it again. In fact, I would love more than anything to organize a field band tour to the US. Perhaps I will set myself to that task when I get back home…

Take a look at the video below and let me know what you think. It’s the longest video I’ve made so far on the Field Band Foundation, but anything shorter just wouldn’t have done justice to the tour. I think mostly everything in the video is self-explanatory. But, if you are wondering how the band wound up singing and dancing along to a Romanian folk band, well I’m still a bit shocked about that myself! The Romanians were another international guest at the festival and apparently what started off as an impromptu drum competition between the South Africans and the Romanians turned into one of the most bizarre and amazing cross-cultural displays I could imagine. I hope you enjoy!

Lately I’ve been focusing on the bands from Cullinan, Daveyton, and Dobsonville, all in the Johannesburg/Pretoria area. I usually work with the drummers for about an hour and then observe the full band rehearsal to see how things are coming along. I’m happy to say that I’m seeing some nice progress all around. The national championships are just two months away, so attendance is improving and things are getting a bit more serious as everyone prepares for the competition.

I’ve included some clips from a recent rehearsal in Cullinan in the video below. It features a drum cadence I’ve been working on with my students and some footage from their full band rehearsal as well. Keep an eye out for my friend and colleague, Thomas, as he makes his debut “lemon curry” cameo. Thomas also taught the drummers in Cullinan for several months as part of the Norwegian Peace Corps program that assists the Field Band Foundation. Sadly, the six Norwegians from the group just went back home and the next group won’t arrive until October, so I will be without Norwegian buddies for a while.

Also included in the video are some clips from a recent performance I organized for my students from Cullinan. The Public Affairs Officer from the US Consulate in Johannesburg asked me if I could put a presentation together about my work for a group of American teachers traveling through the country. So, I assembled some videos for a short seminar and got the guys from Cullinan to come to Soweto (the biggest township in South Africa) to perform for the group. The clips feature some of the warm-ups and cadences I’ve been teaching them as well as a segment from their drum solo from last year’s championships. I hope you will be as impressed with them as I am. They are really coming along! We’re going to be putting this year’s solo together over the next few weeks, which should be a lot of fun. That’s when they get to use all of the fancy stick tricks and showy movements, like in the movie, Drumline. I will surely have a post about it once we get a little closer to the championships.

In other news, I am working on a video on the Field Band tour to Norway, which I attended several weeks ago. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I hope the video will do it justice. Look out for a post in the next couple of weeks. I’m also working on some songs for an album I’m going to be recording with a musician friend I met here several months ago, named Bham. The idea is to combine African styles with rock drumming and other international flavors. Hopefully it will be finished by November. I’m also planning some big trips for the coming months. I’m going to Zimbabwe next week and will be traveling to several other southern African countries in October/November. I’ve also got tentative plans to go to Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo. We’ll see how that all pans out. In the meantime, check out the video below and let me know what you think. My blog is now open for commenting, so please comment!

I often miss the excitement of travel and the many variables of a more fast-paced life. Before moving to Joburg, my life was far from predicable. At college, there was always something new going on and the idea of having regular sleep or time for “slow and steady” development was out of the question. After college, I traveled for several months and then, when I first moved to South Africa in September, I spent over a month traveling and visiting the field bands around the country.

So, I have some mixed feelings about my new “normal” life. But, I’ve managed to plan a few trips over the coming months that should hopefully balance the competing interests of the fixed lifestyle I seem to need and the adventurous lifestyle I love. The first of my excursions came a few weeks ago when my parents came to South Africa to visit me.

It was really exciting to have them here. It’s rare that you get to show your folks a place that is intimately familiar to you, but which they have never seen before. My goal for the trip was to show them the absolute highlights of the country and it turned out to be one of the greatest trips of my life and a very special experience for my parents as well. They are already planning to come back in October!

The trip really did put things in perspective for me and gave me a sincere appreciation for the unique and inspiring qualities of this incredible country. The adventure took us around the country, from the game reserves of Mpumalanga, to bustling heart of Soweto, the haunting mountains of the Karoo, and the magnificent coasts of Cape Town.

I tried to balance the trip between natural wonders, cultural highlights, and “down-to-earth” South African experiences. To see the extreme luxury of some of the world’s most sumptuous game lodges without also experiencing the extreme poverty of some of the townships, would be a one-sided approach to touring South Africa. Likewise, a visit to the high-strung economic capital of Johannesburg without a trip to the laid-back and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, would create an incomplete picture of the country.

This balanced approach really made the trip special and it was very refreshing for me to get out of Joburg for a bit and appreciate South Africa as a whole.

Please check out the slide show I’ve put together from the trip. I tried to cover a good amount of detail in my captions, but feel free to send me a message if you have any comments or questions.

After spending so much time with Sello and Boy at their homes, I figured it was time to invite them to my place for a few days. They have been kind enough to let me into their lives, so why not let them into mine? They eagerly accepted my invitation and were excited to see my apartment and watch some videos I had been telling them about. They also asked if they could bring their friend Happy, another drummer from the band, with them and I, of course, accepted, bringing our drum party to four.

They stayed for two nights and we had an amazing time. We did a lot of drumming (on pads and shoes and magazines and whatever else we could find), wrote a new drum feature for their band and watched plenty of videos. They seemed to enjoy everything and I’m sure they learned a lot from the experience. They were also some of the best house guests I’ve ever had. I couldn’t believe it when they started mopping the floors and thoroughly cleaning the bathroom. They were respectful and just a lot of fun to have around. However, I did make the mistake of telling them they could eat as much as they wanted. I have never seen sandwiches stacked so high!

I also learned a lot from them. I regard Sello and Boy as friends and I don’t really associate terms like “disadvantaged” or “impoverished” with them. Those words seem so cold to me. I view them simply as capable young men who perhaps haven’t had many opportunities. But, some of the things they said really gave me pause.

At one point, Boy asked me how many meals I eat a day. I answered (at least three) and asked him the same question, only to find out that he can generally only afford to eat once a day. I also found out that Sello’s family can’t afford to get him a passport for the upcoming Field Band tour to Norway. The cost is around $25. They live on next to nothing, yet they don’t seem at all like “poor African children” or whatever other term might apply. They carry themselves with pride and that is something I really respect.

There were also plenty of funny “cultural” moments during their stay. For instance, they thought it was hilarious that I would want to drink my tea cold (iced tea). They also asked me if we have Coca Cola in America and were fascinated by Listerine. I also had this silly idea that they probably didn’t shower that much (a terrible stereotype based on the conditions of where they live). But, it seemed like they spent half their time showering and bathing!. They even asked me at one point why I didn’t shower so much.

I could go on, but perhaps it’s best to let a video do the talking. I turned my camera on just before they left and they decided to give a little Cribs-style tour of my apartment. I’ve also included some of our drumming and a very nice message they had for me at the end.

Click here to email James with your questions or comments

The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.

Before I came to South Africa, I sent a very naïve email to the CEO of the Field Band Foundation enquiring about the nature of their “facilities” in the townships. The reply I got back simply said, “Hi Jimmy…We have no facilities in the townships. Field Bands = fields I’m afraid.” Though this fact became clear to me when I began working with the bands in September, I suppose it never really hit home until a few days ago…

I was teaching in Cullinan and had just finished my usual warm-ups with the drummers. We started working on a new drum solo, but after a few minutes, I heard something hit the ground next to me. I looked briefly at what seemed like a small piece of glass lying there and turned back to continue my lesson, only to find a cluster of very shocked faces staring at me. Boy then screamed “ICE ROCK!!” and within seconds they were all gone.

I stood there for a moment trying to make sense of what had just happened. Where did they go? Had there been some sort of cultural misunderstanding? Or perhaps there was some danger I wasn’t seeing? Then another piece of “glass” hit the ground. Then a few more fell and it finally hit me that “ice rock” = hail!

I looked back at the field band truck and saw some kids frantically trying to get the instruments packed away. Only a few brave souls had stayed behind to save the instruments; the rest had fled for shelter. I listened for a moment to the surreal sound of hail beating against the drums and then ran to help.

I managed to find a hat and a plastic bag to put on my head. Others found umbrellas and most notably, Sello and Boy were shielding themselves with a set of plastic chairs they had found by the truck. Meanwhile, four kids had formed a pseudo assembly line inside the truck, trying to get everything in before it was too late. Then all hell broke loose outside as heavy rain and some very serious lightening began to mix with the hail.

The “assembly line” didn’t prove to be very effective and those of us standing outside of the truck wound up getting completely soaked as we waited to pass the instruments inside. It was a total mess. But, somehow, the initial shock and panic gradually turned to laughter and smiles as we stopped caring about the weather and began to enjoy this very strange experience we were having together. The hail had mostly given way to torrential rain by that point and everyone had already gotten so wet that it seemed pointless to worry about it. The instruments would have to wait until the assembly line was ready for them. And finally, after a few more soggy minutes, everything was safely inside the truck.

With our mission accomplished, a bunch of kids jumped into my car and I turned on the heater at full blast to the delight of more than a few shivering bodies. Then I drove them home and made the hour-long journey back to my apartment in Johannesburg feeling like I had just stepped out of a swimming pool. Yes, Field Bands most definitely = fields.

The hail begins and a few remain to save the instruments.

The assembly line forms inside the truck.

A very wet marimba makes its way into the truck.

Sello and Boy shield themselves with plastic chairs.

Panic gives way to laughter.

How did my camera survive all this?

Click here to email James with your questions or comments

The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.

*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…

I stepped out of the car feeling a bit peeved (“What do I do without instruments?”), but also eager to meet some of my new presumptive students. Peter, the leader of the group, is a twenty-one-year-old euphonium player who teaches brass and recently had the opportunity to tour with an American marching band in the States. His dream is to be a professional musician.

Sello and Boy, who also hope to be professional musicians, soon walked up to my car to greet me. Though Boy is technically the drum teacher of the band, in practice the two friends work together. They are both nineteen and have been best friends since the first grade. They complement each other in a special way. Boy is proud and weighs his words. Sello likes to joke around, but takes drumming quite seriously (he earned the gold medal last year at the National Championships). Boy takes pride in Sello’s accomplishments in the field band as if they were his own.

Over the last month I’ve gotten to know Sello and Boy quite well. “Sello” means “cry” in Sepedi, one of the local languages. Boy’s name in Sepedi is “Shimane”. Most African names can be translated to simple but poignant concepts, like “give thanks”, or “rise up”, or “one who brings rain”. One name I don’t quite understand is Mgwazeni, which means “stab him” in Zulu. But, I’ve met enough Luckys and Happys and Gifts, that it leads me to believe most names are positive. Sello was apparently named after the fact that he cried quite often as a baby.

That first day in Cullinan turned out to be one of my most memorable teaching experiences–despite the lack of instruments. A bunch of kids piled into my car and we listened to several recordings I had collected. Then I showed them some techniques on my drum pad, which we ended up working on for well over an hour. Everyone was incredibly eager and clearly happy to have me there. Despite the fact that we spent nearly the entire day in and around my car under the beating sun, it was one of those special afternoons where time stopped.

I decided to come back another day with my camera to capture a rehearsal without instruments and to film Sello and Boy. The following is what I came up with. Sello is wearing a red shirt and a do-rag. Boy is in a blue shirt. Peter, seen briefly in Sello’s house, is wearing a white shirt and has dreds.

(As a side note, the band recently found a new truck driver and can now rehearse with instruments. I drive up once a week to teach the drummers and plan to invite Sello and Boy to spend a weekend with me in Johannesburg.)

Click here to email James with your questions or comments

The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.

Wow… It’s hard to describe what an incredible experience this was. I was honestly blown away. For some reason, I had pictured the National Workshop as a rather serious affair with lots of practicing and note-taking and all that sort of thing. Though there was certainly a lot of hard work and an incredible amount of dedication on the part of the participants, it was, more than anything, a week of fun, friendship and creativity for everyone involved. This was one of the most inspiring and invigorating things I’ve seen in a long time.

I’ve put together two videos in an attempt to cover one week of nonstop activity in a mere ten minutes. The first one covers the introductory events we held for the students at the beginning of the workshop, while the second covers the rehearsals and day-to-day activities of the rest of the week. The final shot in the second video is from a run-through performance we held at the end of the week to show off what everyone had learned.

For a little background, seventy-two students attended the workshop. The average age of the participants was about seventeen, though there was at least one forty-year-old and one twelve-year-old. I am always amazed by how little everyone in the field bands seems to care about age. While Americans tend to make big distinctions between freshmen and seniors and elders and juniors, from my experience, South Africans are much looser about age. If you can play, you can play.

Daily activities at the workshop ran from 7:45AM till 9:00PM, with a few breaks in between for meals and a couple of trips to the beach. The students were selected from around the country, representing the up-and-coming talent and future leadership of the Field Band Foundation. The top sixty from the group will be selected to attend a tour in Norway occurring this June. I plan on tagging along and will certainly have more to report on that in the coming months.

Part I: Introductions

Part II: Hard Work

Click here to email James with your questions or comments

The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.

After over a month on the road, I’ve finally completed my journey through South Africa. It was truly a special experience and my understanding and appreciation of this country have grown enormously. South Africa is an incredibly varied and beautiful country, both in terms of its people and geography.

Rather than elaborate with more writing, I’ve put together a slide show to narrate the trip. Hopefully you will get a sense of the beauty of South Africa and of the success of the Field Band Foundation. I don’t have many photos here detailing the conditions of the townships where the bands rehearse, but bear in mind that these kids live in poverty and have to deal with conditions at home and in their communities that most Americans would find appalling.

Click here to email James with your questions or comments

The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.