Five university-trained musicians from the United States along with two music teachers from Anguilla, Kimba Southwell and Lennox Vanterpool, with support from the Tourist Board, are conducting a two-week training camp for some 80 young people in Anguilla.

Students and Music Teachers at Campus B

The visiting facilitators are Dr. William Smith, an Assistant Professor at the American University, where he teaches courses in jazz history, rock history and music appreciation and conducts the university’s Jazz Ensemble; McClenty Hunter Jr., a graduate of Howard University and Juilliard School in New York City; Joel Homes, a Jazz Piano Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County; Eric Wheeler, a music major of Howard University, working professionally in the Washington DC metro area as a jazz and classical musician; and Brian Chadwick Viuckers, also a graduate of Howard University.

Anguillian music teachers, Kimba Southwell, the Music Camp Director and Lennox Vanterpool who is assisting her, are both graduates in Music Education of the University of the Virgin Islands.

Dr. William Smith, Eric Wheeler and Brian Chadwick with Music Teachers and others

The camp began at Campus B on Monday and will continue until July 20. It will culminate in a musical presentation at the Teachers’ Resource Centre on July 21 in order to give the Anguillian public an opportunity to see the youngsters in performance.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Chairman of the Tourist Board, John Benjamin, welcomed Dr. Smith and his team of music educators to Anguilla, some of whom are visiting the island for the first time. He said music was always part of the African cultural heritage to which the people of the Anguilla and the rest of the Caribbean also belonged. “This year we are trying to emphasise much of our cultural heritage especially in celebrating 200 years of freedom from slavery,” he said. “We can’t thank you too much for coming here and giving of your time.”

Director of Tourism, Amelia Vanterpool-Kubisch, said that the Anguilla Tourist Board was partnering with the Music Department of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School to host the school’s Summer Music Camp. It is being held as a component of the annual Tranquillity Jazz Festival.

The Tourism Director said that in addition to the Tourist Board, a number of other sponsors had already committed themselves to partnering in the event. They include the Anguilla Social Security Board, the Anguilla Development Board, BET J, Apex/Avis Car Rental, Ocean Terrance Condos and Keithley Lake & Associates. She invited others to come on board to assist in the music development of Anguilla’s youth.

The cost of holding the Music Camp is in the region of US$40,000. The tuition includes voice, strings, percussion, woodwinds and brasswinds and piano. The visiting tutors have expressed delight with the level of interest and performance shown by the children.

Mr. Vanterpool said that since the year 2000 efforts were being made to develop a more concentrated music programme for students particularly at the Comprehensive School. As a result teachers returned to the school during the summer vacation to provide extra training for the students and to hold concerts.

“We thought though, seeing the real passion that the youngsters have for music that it would be beneficial to add some more disciplines; so we are happy that this year we have the support of the Anguilla Tourist Board and a number of other sponsors.” Vanterpool stated. “We are also happy to have Dr. Smith and his team to come down and offer not only the band instruments, but also violins and other strings, voice, piano and percussion. We are really excited about it and to have not only the children from Grade 5, but up to even adults. We also invited a limited number of children between the ages of four and eight to be part of the Music Camp as well. So it is about exposing as many as we possibly can without overwhelming the facilitators.”

Dr. Smith, who has been in Anguilla before and performed at the Anguilla Jazz Festival, was the next speaker. He said he ands his team were grateful to have been brought to Anguilla to help spread music education and to help to take the island’s youth to a different level.

“There is a lot of competing interest for their minds and we are trying to get them to do music for the good of society. That is why we brought down jazz to engage them with music from their heritage,” he said.

Dr. Smith said he was also representing B E (Beloved and Enrichment) Community Foundation in which everyone comes together to help and enrich the community through arts and education.

“Jazz comes from the traditions of the African and American peoples and in its concept it talks about the good, the bad and the ugly,” he explained. “It expresses the emotion and through improvisation it engages you and that is what jazz has done for me and the musicians that I have brought with me. They are all accomplished musicians and they are able to show the students and engage with them in how to express their emotions through the instruments they are holding in their hands.”

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