Pinehas Nakaziko
Preparations for the much anticipated Brass Instrument Training Institute (BITI) eight year’s anniversary celebrations are in full gear. Organisers says the anniversary celebrations and the trumpet festival will be hosted over two weeks starting with a training workshop on musical instruments from June 25-30. The anniversary celebration and trumpet festival will then kick off on July 1-7, with all events taking place at the Paulus //Gowaseb Church in Okahandja Park in Windhoek. Founder of the institution, Moses Seibeb, says the aim is to enhance the talents of trumpet and other music instruments players. All those interested in playing a trumpet and other music instruments such as keyboard, saxophone, guitar and many others are invited. “They must not come to play songs that are already composed, but to learn how to compose their own songs and write their own music,” says Seibeb, adding that they don’t want to teach people how to perform, but to write and compose their original songs.
The main aim of the workshop is to teach people how to handle the trumpet, how to produce sound on the trumpet, how to read and write music and how to practice long and short, high and low notes on the trumpet, as well as rhythm practicing.
“All age groups are welcome at this training, says Seibeb adding that on the first day of the training workshop trainees would have to register with N$ 250. After the first week of the training, the festival and anniversary celebrations will kick-off for seven days under the theme “Leviticus 23:23-24”. The BITI students and the Garere Choir will be the main performers for the whole week. The Grootfontein Brass Band will also be performing on Day 4. Hope and Rhythm Youth Brass Band will perform on Day 5 and all the invited bands will perform on Day 6. The last day of the festival will be the celebration of the BITI eight years anniversary. There will also be a braai every day, with soft drinks on sale. All the events will start at ten o’clock (10h00) in the morning until six o’clock (18h00) in the evening. All events in the second week are free of charge.
The BITI first opened its doors in December 2010, and the numbers of students showing interest have been increasing each year. At first the school did not have instruments and the students were taught only music theory. In July 2011, the German Embassy sponsored six trumpets, a trombone and a tuba worth more than N$44 800.