Three experts from the Flemish music organisation Vlamo share their knowledge with sixty band leaders of the Field Band Foundation. From Sunday 9th December to Saturday 15th December 2007, a 'Teach the Teacher' workshop will take place in the surroundings of the BAT Community Centre in Durban - South Africa.

The BAT Centre is one of the four community centres in South Africa which the Flemish community wants to build a relation with. From the Flemish government, Vlamo now gets financial resources to develop initiatives to accelerate the quality of the field bands in this context and with the Field Band Foundation.

In March 2007, Vlamo representatives went to South Africa. By means of their experiences and contacts with the Field Band Foundation, a project application was submitted to the Minister of Culture of the Flemish community in April.

The project wants transfer, especially knowledge, by means of two-way traffic between Flanders and South Africa. A training will be given to band leaders ('tutors'), who might forward the obtained knowledge to their band members, children from less-developed areas (so-called 'townships'). With the additional resources, which the Flemish government makes available for this in the coming three years, Vlamo is able to organise workshops and exchanges. In December, three Flemish teachers, together with Norwegian clinicians, will train sixty tutors.

The selected clinic participants come from all provinces from the country and will follow a clinic week in Durban. The BAT Centre is the logistical partner. The Norwegian teachers will focus on brass and percussion. The Flemish tutors will instruct dancing, color guard, marching percussion and show design.
 
The Flemish people are Nancy Catrysse (caption cead color guard Percussion ensemble Drumspirit Dadizele) for dancing and color guard, Wim De Vlaminck (music instructor KDF Bavikhove) for marching percussion and Bart Tienpont (choreographer Percussion ensemble Drumspirit Dadizele) for show design. (Translation: Taîs van Lyl)


A member of a South-African field band. (Photo: Geert Vanmaeckelberghe)

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