Bands from the Access Music Project (AMP) featured in the final concert of the DSG/SAC Youth Music Festival last weekend.
Bands from the Access Music Project (AMP) featured in the final concert of the DSG/SAC Youth Music Festival last weekend.
The AMP performers – who come from Khutliso Daniels, Nombulelo and Ntsika Secondary Schools – joined string, wind, brass and marimba ensembles from St Andrew's, the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), Victoria Girls' High and Kingswood College.
The AMP Junior Band and Amplifire, the senior band, added their own energy and flavour to the evening, encouraging audience members to dance along to the songs they performed on various combinations of marimbas, trumpets, sax and drums – including jembe drums.
Project Director, Gareth Walwyn, explained that AMP participants do not have music taught at their schools and that AMP offers them a chance to learn music individually and in groups.
The project has been running since 2011 and the goal is to make music lessons available to children from all 16 schools in Grahamstown East.
Three AMP musicians joined the St Andrew's and DSG band for their performances.
St Andrew's Director of Music, Mike Skipper, said "Instead of the usual competition on the sports field, the aim of the evening was to celebrate young people making music with each other and for each other".
He added that he hopes to send a few of his own students to the AMP music project soon.
The evening of music ended with the excellent Kingswood Concert Band playing a medley of 80s music.
Visit our website to listen to sound clips from the evening. http://bit.ly/1L9HfQp
