Three members of De Beers Musina field band spent three weeks on tour of European countries. Their destination was Norway, on invite to the marching band music festival and as part of field band foundation South Africa entourage.

Winston Covane (19), who is a choreographer/dance instructor, Maria Ndamane (14) playing the baritone horn and Mashudu Mogotsi (23) a tuba/bass instructor, could not wait to relate their experiences abroad. As part of their itinerary, their first stop was Amsterdam in Netherlands after flying from OR Tambo International Airport.

They then took a seven-hour bus trip to Belgium, stopping over there for 10 days. They were not there just to be spectators, but had a chance to rub shoulders with youth from other field bands while sharing and acquiring more musical skills. As they continued their journey, they took a three hour flight from Belgium to Norway, finally arriving at their base in Manger city where they spend another 11 days.

Mogotsi said he was particularly impressed to see young kids taking music so seriously and actually playing it at such quality.  He said even though the Norwegian summer was a bit chilly for him, the trip was a learning curve and an eye-opener. Ndamane chipped in and mentioned how scary it was for her flying for the first time.  She however enjoyed the Norwegian cheese which she said looks different, but certainly tastes nicer.

Covane said he learnt a lot from the trip, as he got to learn more and different dance moves.  “People over there were really happy to see African dancers in action. It was also a dream come true for me getting a chance to perform internationally”, he said.

One thing they all mentioned was that music is played everywhere in Norway, which left an impression on them.  Even though they were based in Manger, they had a chance to visit a few cities in this Scandinavian country while showcasing their skills and getting more coaching in their different fields.

Their return schedule required them to go via Amsterdam, before leaving for South Africa landing at OR Tambo. It was now time to come back to Musina on a long trip by train. On that note they managed to use three modes of transport they don’t usually use.

De Beers Musina field band coordinator, Ivan Kwatlande said the three certainly came back better and that their improvement is there for all to notice.