Alexandra Field Band invites new members to join for free
Township youth can pick up instruments and develop lifelong musical skills as rehearsals get under way at local primary schools.
Curious parents who watch the Alexandra Field Band parade through the streets often wonder how their own children can join the musical ensemble.
Alexandra Field Band programmes officer Phumzile Twala confirmed this is a question she regularly is asked.
Read more: Alexandra Field Band nails opening performance at national championships
Twala said any parent is welcome to bring their child to join the group, noting that the band is a community project established for that purpose. She added that that is why practices are based at local schools in Alexandra.
She explained that parents can bring their children to Skeen Primary School on Mondays and Tuesdays, and to Ekukhanyisweni Primary School on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon.
She said parents are not required to pay any fee for their children to become part of the band.
Band offers children exposure to opportunities
Twala said the skills learners acquire during practice go a long way and remain useful even after they finish school. Several band members have made the most of these opportunities and have gone on to pursue careers in music.
Also read: Alexandra Field Band parades trophies after stellar performance at national championships
Band alumnus Phelelani Msimango, who joined the group in 2008, later received a bursary to study music through the Field Band and went on to become a professional music teacher and co-owner of a music school.
Some have travelled overseas. Last year, Tshepiso Langa, who joined the band in 2018, travelled abroad to Norway as part of an international music exchange programme between South Africa and Norway.
To date, the band continues to use music to unite the community and pave young people’s way to a greater future.
Parents can also get involved
Twala said the success of their initiatives also hinges on parental involvement, which she said they need more of. She said they cannot have scores of children participating without parents coming to see what the children are doing.
“We are really struggling in that regard because parents are not as supportive as we want them to be, even though we do have some who are supportive and always here, and we really appreciate them.”
She said that level of involvement not only allows parents to see what their children are doing, but also ensures that they encourage other children to join the band.
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