“What we really try to do is take people as they’re growing up in the foundation to mold them into people who can manage sections of the band or become band leaders and then eventually become staff members,” Morgan says. Overall, the FBF is about helping kids succeed in life 61.1 percent of the students have unemployed parents, and 92 percent had no access to music or arts education before joining. “It really gives these kids an opportunity that they would never get to do in their lives.”
“It’s one of the most successful partnerships that we have going on,” Morgan says. Aspiring music instructors go to South Africa to help teach, and the top FBF students learn in Norway for six to nine months, then return to give back. The FBF also operates an exchange program with students in Norway. “So the dance, music and drill charts are all very uniquely their own.” “What the kids and the leaders try to do is take the drum and bugle corps model and infuse it with the culture, music and vibe of South Africa,” Morgan says. The bands practice year-round and compete in an annual championship. “We make that a centerpiece of what we do because if our kids don’t stay healthy, they won’t be able to do this.” “South Africa is one of the most prevalent countries in the world for HIV one in five persons are infected,” Morgan says. We’re constrained by the number of instruments.”įunded mainly by corporate and individual donors, the organization prevents the students from joining violent gangs, promotes gender equality-a paramount issue in South Africa where women are frequently abused-and also provides HIV testing and treatment. “We do have a ton of kids, and we have long waiting lines. “They don’t have to have any musical background the only thing that they have to do is be enrolled in school and be making passing grades,” Morgan says. The FBF has 17 field bands totaling close to 4,000 members. There is some art in the schools, but this is really the only opportunity for them to participate in a regular music activity.” “Imagine yourself going down a highway, and for 20 minutes you’re just driving through shantytowns with no water, bathroom or electricity-these are the townships where most of these kids live. “We work with young people who are living in really tough circumstances,” says Scott Morgan, chairman of FBF Inc. For the Field Band Foundation (FBF) from South Africa, music is important, and winning means a lot, but teaching values and gaining life skills are of greater priority. That doesn’t sound like the mantra of your everyday marching band, and it’s not. “To the Dutch and in fact all European bands, the WMC Kerkrade is the most important contest of all,” Reumkens says. “These bands are independent from schools or other institutions.”įunding for these bands comes from municipal grants, sponsorships and their own fundraising. “Most bands in Europe are community bands, with sometimes very long traditions of more than 200 years old,” Reumkens says. Unlike in America, bands in Europe are rarely connected to educational institutions.