Next May a group of Barrhead band students will be learning the rhythms of the Caribbean island of Cuba.
They will sample not just Afro-Cuban singing and dancing, but also the beat and pace of a very different lifestyle to Canada’s.
From visits to pristine beaches to subterranean rivers, tropical rain forests to mountain terrain, 16th century buildings to life in the countryside … this promises to be a cultural experience for the 22 Barrhead Composite High School students.
In between excursions, they will meet, work and perform with Cuban musical students and teachers at a Havana high school for the arts.
Additional public performances will take place at venues arranged by the Cuban Ministry of Culture.
The Canada-Cuba 2014 Performance Tour of Cuba takes place May 17-25 and will involve band students from Grades 9-12.
The BCHS band is organizing it with an agency called Canada-Cuba Sports and Cultural Festivals, which was founded in 1987 and represents institutions of the Cuban Ministries of Culture, Science and the Environment, Sport and Education.
“We will be travelling and performing at various schools and community centres around the country and will be able to see parts of Cuba that most visitors never see,” said BCHS band director Kerri-Lee Kostiw.
“We will be preparing a 45-minute concert for the tour, and will also be collecting items to take with us for donations to the Cuban people we will be visiting. So for our BCHS students this will be a cultural as well as humanitarian experience.”
Kostiw said first hand knowledge of a diverse and fascinating culture could never be learned from a textbook.
She added that in 2000 she took 40 band students from Westlock’s R.F. Staples on a similar tour.
“It was an unforgettable experience for everyone,” she said. “It opened a whole new world to these students, as I am sure this trip will to our BCHS students.”
Of course, the Cuban trip has to be paid for, she said.
Transport and accommodation costs per person will come to over $1,907, while there will also be other expenses for such things as lunches, drinks and tips.
Kostiw said such an ambitious project required the support of parents, school and community.
Traditionally, she added, Barrhead has proved a generous supporter of its youth.
“The students of BCHS understand that there are many worthwhile projects looking for support from a relatively small community,” said Kostiw. “With this in mind, they do not expect a free ride. Instead, the students would welcome the chance to repay any support with efforts of their own.”
For example, they could perform or work at community group fundraising events. While abroad, they could also recognize the support they have received while performing before international audiences.
Kostiw said the band includes some of the most energetic and promising young people anyone could meet.
“They will make outstanding ambassadors for our community and the experiences they will gain from this trip will undoubtedly shape the adults they will become.”
*The band’s next concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 in the BCHS east gym. It will feature Grades 7-12 students and the Jazz Band.
