Violin lessons open up new worlds
Violin lessons open up new worlds for talented youngsters
AN UNWAVERING dedication to improving the lives of a talented group of violinists from Booysen Park Primary School has seen a father and son volunteer their time for music lessons and a trip to Cape Town. Michael Alley, 60, and his son, Lance, 27, of Kabega Park, have taken it upon themselves to introduce a group of 13 Grade 6 pupils to music and the opportunities it presents.
The Violin Project saw the duo, in collaboration with the Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (ECPO), audition hundreds of pupils at three Bay schools in 2012.
The group of 13 were all part of those auditions.
While the music project has since faded at two of the schools due to a lack of funding, the Booysen Park group who showed musical talent inspired the private music teachers to volunteer their time for three weekly lessons with them.
The group have since honed their talents and performed alongside the ECPO at their annual Concert in the Park event, the Grahamstown Arts Festival and performances with violinists Samson Diamond and Neo Motsatse.
In 2015, Motsatse invited the group to perform in East London, which Michael Alley said had inspired the upcoming Cape Town trip.
The funds for the trip were raised through several fundraisers over a one-year period.
“One of the pupils was asked: ‘Why do you want to play the violin?’ He responded: ‘The violin will let me see the world, I have even been to East London because of music.’ That made me realise the [limitations] of these pupils’ situations,” Alley said.
“It was after that, that we decided to take them to Cape Town to expose them to possibilities of where they could end up and what they can achieve.
“These children are surrounded by drugs, gangs and gunshots daily, they need to see there is a world beyond what is their norm.
“This trip is to inspire them to exceed beyond their circumstances.”
Despite many of the pupils initially not knowing what a violin was, Alley said that in 2015 the group had progressed to the point where he decided to enter them into the Trinity College of Music examinations, where they have claimed the title of the best violin group in the province for two years.
ECPO administrator Gillian Barnett said: “These pupils are truly an inspiring bunch and are immensely talented.” Their progress was remarkable, she said. “The reason we opted to teach them the violin is because it is the instrument that is most in demand in an orchestra and will hopefully open many doors for them which they would not even have considered.”
Pupil Cristin Rensburg said: “I love playing the violin. It has given me the chance to travel. And it challenges me a lot to improve my skill.
“I can’t wait to go to Cape Town. I have never been, and have never flown before, so I am nervous and excited about the trip.”