New orchestra building for scouts, girl guides opens
MUSCAT: Under the patronage of Dr Madiha Al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education, the Ministry of Education, represented by the DirectorateGeneral of Scouts and Girl Guides, celebrated the 34th anniversary of announcing His Majesty Sultan Qaboos as the greatest scout for the Sultanate. The Ministry also celebrated the inauguration of the new orchestra building at Airport Heights. A number of Directorate-Generals, Department Directors, and officials and commanders of the military musical band attend the ceremony.
The ceremony begins with a tour through the corridors of the orchestra building, which includes all the facilities that help the team to train and perform its tasks at the best. The design of the building takes the shape of a tint in a way that combines modern architecture and scouts life style. It includes a theater hall with a capacity of 224 chairs, as well as a variety of halls including a music library, two concert halls, two musical rooms, two training rooms, a meeting room and 11 classrooms and another one for musical tests. The building also includes a storage room for musical instrument and another one for requirements associated with the musical band, room for musical instruments maintenance, a hall for guests and a number of administrative offices among which is the Office of the Director-General, and offices for Head of Departments.
After the tour, Al-Faisal School deliver a welcoming speech at the theatre hall, followed with a speech of the Directorate-General delivered by Laila al Najjar, Minister’s council for Educational Programs and the Directorate-General of Scouts and Girl Guides. Following is a visual presentation of the accomplishments of the Scouts and Girls Guides Movement and the achievements accomplished thanks to the high support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos - the greatest Scout of the Sultanate – including the directions of establishing Scouts orchestra band in 1988. The film also shows the orchestra’s contributions in the Sultanates celebration of national festivals, including the participation of the band with the military bands at the Opera House ceremony on the 47th National Day.
The Scout band plays a number of national music, Arab and international music afterwards, and then Dr. Madiha Al - Shaibaniyah honors the musicians of the Scout Orchestra participating in the Royal Opera House.
The orchestra has a total of 63 musicians, 11 musical trainers and 10 directors. The band also has the latest musical instruments in the world’s best orchestras. The building stands on a land with a total area of more than 3,000 square meters, and the total value of the construction of the building is more than 1 million and 50000 riyals.
The new building is one of the monuments of the blessed renaissance that will serve the Omani cultural scene and enhance the status of the scouts and guides of Oman among the Arab and international scouts. The celebration of the 34th anniversary of the announcement of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos as the greatest scout for the Sultanate is an outstanding celebration in the memory of all members of the Scout and guidance movement in the Sultanate and the world.
It was an honour for the Scouts movement in November 20, 1983 when His Majesty was announced as the greatest scout in a festive celebration of joy in the presence of one hundred and fifty leaders of Arab and international scout organizations representing 50 countries. This announcement has enhanced the Omani scouts’ prominent position at the Gulf, Arab and global levels.