The Hout Bay Music Project Trust - a story of hope and personal achievement by Connie Griessen
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“On the page it looked nothing. The beginning simple, almost comic. Just a pulse - bassoons and basset horns - like a rusty squeezebox. Then suddenly - high above it - an oboe, a single note, hanging there unwavering, till a clarinet took over and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight! This was no composition by a performing monkey! This was a music I'd never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing, it had me trembling. It seemed to me that I was hearing a voice of God.”
Salieri, describing the music of Mozart.
From Hangklip to Maastrecht!
by Connie Griessen
There are moments in time when I feel so proudly South African.
I must confess that the initial experience happened a few months ago, but I was reminded of that “Viva South Africa!” moment during a fund raising concert, organised by the Hout Bay Music Project Trust.
Leanne Dolman, the Director of this group, is a modest, trained violinist who prefers to focus on the activities of her special project rather than divulge too much information about herself.
“Music makes people happy,” and Leanne firmly believes everybody should have the opportunity to experience some of this magic. Her efforts have certainly achieved this for a group of local residents. From their humble playground in Hout Bay they have progressed onto the international stage, at the invitation of one of the leading artists in Europe.
I recently met Leanne to find out a bit more about the origin and activities of this talented group.
Some years ago, “when I had time on my hands”, Leanne noticed that children from the local informal settlements were aimlessly wandering around the streets of Hout Bay. She did not have the means or know-how to make drastic changes in their lives, but wanted to provide them with an opportunity to lead a more fulfilling life. By making music accessible on a different level, she felt they could experience the wonder of creating something special.
On a life changing day during 2003 she asked the principal of Oranje Kloof Moravian Primary school in Hout Bay if she could play to the children. This strange request was met with some scepticism, but once she embarked on this road there was no turning back. The response was much bigger than expected, and she suddenly had a new challenge on her hands – to find equipment to make good on her impulsive offer!
In her own words: “After I finished my performance, I asked the children ‘who would like to learn to play’. To my utmost surprise they all put up their hands, eagerly asking to be accepted! I was stunned, and then reality sunk in. How on earth was I going to do this all on my own? I did not have the money to buy them all instruments, but the expectation was created, and I had to sink or swim.”
Leanne, however, is a born optimist who does not look for reasons to fail. Instead, she will find ways to make things work. Eight years later she can reflect on the events with a wry smile, without any regrets. She formed an informal association consisting of volunteers, and operated on that basis from 2003, until the HBMP was formalised in 2005.Today Leanne heads this active NGO, strengthened by a few paid personnel. Close on 100 children and students of all ages participate on a regular basis, and this number is growing all the time.
The children don’t pay for any lessons, but they participate in 2-3 concerts and corporate “gigs” per month, to help raise funds. These performances can last up to 2 ½ hours, so it requires a lot of hard work and time commitment from young people.
One of their biggest challenges is provided by the lack of proper facilities. They share a small timber building at the Hout Bay Community Centre with various organisations and sports bodies, and this restricts their activities. The group consists of musicians playing a variety of instruments, and have different skills levels.
It is not easy to implement specific and clear instructions where students don’t have space or privacy. The very technical training they get requires the utmost focus and concentration in separate training rooms. At present they often practice in the kitchen, outside the building, or even the change rooms.
Training is provided by a few volunteers as well as paid teachers. Some of the senior students have become interns, and by training the young ones, they are putting something back into the organisation they love.
Apart from her personal role as teacher, a lot of Leanne’s time and energy is also spent promoting the group, raising funds and coordinating the staff that assists with various administrative and musical tasks. These funds are required to maintain their training programme.
Although they sometimes get donations of violins etc, they need so much more. The students outgrow the instruments and have to adjust sizes; they also have to take it home to practice. This level of trust Leanne has shown to the students clearly encourage them to accept responsibility.
“There was one sad loss, when the shack where some of the children lived was destroyed in a fire - they were devastated by the loss of their instruments.”
The project is funded through Sponsorships, Corporate functions and concerts.
“We have applied for funding to the Lotto, and have been told our application was successful some time ago – the paperwork takes forever.”
Despite the tough challenges faced on a daily basis, all the hard work pays off when their talents are recognized by prominent people. Their ability to entertain at international level was confirmed during an Andre Rieu concert in Netherlands, which also led to the production of a DVD.
Andre is one of the top selling performers of light classical music, and his world tour concerts are sell-outs. Part of this success is due to the fact that he caters for his audience by adding some local talent. During his tour to South Africa he spent an afternoon in Hout Bay, and what happened after that is history.
Leanne recalls their first encounter with some embarrassment:
“We often get requests from artists and international visitors that would like to meet the children, so when the call came I did not give it a second thought.”
“I met Andre outside the Community Centre, and when he introduced himself I had to admit that I don’t know anything about his orchestra. I honestly did not think the students would know him either, and my negative reply was met with a strange silence. Fortunately the kids saved the day, as they recognised him from a Carte Blanche interview the night before! He took it in his stride, and spent a long time listening while they played various pieces.”
Leanne always try to act in the best interest of her students. When Andre invited the group to one of his concerts in Cape Town, she originally declined. The kids were busy with academic exams, and she felt the parents would object to midweek social events. Andre however felt so strongly about them attending that space was created at a more convenient time. He also arranged transport for the entire group to travel to the Grand West Theatre, and arranged that they go backstage.
The DVD produced afterwards shows a priceless moment when one of the little girls leaned onto Andre while taking photos of her friends, oblivious of the famous man acting as her prop! At the end of the backstage meeting Andre invited the group to perform in Maastrecht, in August 2010.
Getting to Holland was a logistical nightmare. Travel documents and affidavits had to be sorted out for children that in some cases did not even have birth certificates. The group consisted of approximately 20 regulars that perform in local performances, plus 5 adults to chaperone them. Andre’s official bus met them at Frankfurt for the short trip to his home town.
“Initially we could not understand all the fuss – people were waving and cheering along the side of the roads, trying to peer into the bus. At that moment I realised just how popular Andre is, and what a privilege it is to be meeting him on a personal level”.
The children really blossomed while working with the orchestra in his impressive studio. During a break one day they joined Andre, waving to his fans from the dressing room balcony on the square at Vrijdhof. They probably felt like stars!
The concert itself must have been a phenomenal experience. Watching the show on TV, I could not detect any sign of nerves among the South African “artists”, only some reluctance to leave the big stage when their part of the show came to an end.
The performance has been screened on television in many countries, and the Hout Bay Music Project has received a lot of exposure and positive feedback, thanks to Andre Rieu.
This talented group and its inspirational leader has done Hout Bay and the whole of Cape Town proud, and it is such a pity their activities are so restricted. With more financial and other support, who knows what hidden talents may still be discovered in the shadow of Hangklip?
If you are interested to know more about The HoutBay Music Project and would like to help or get involved in some way, please contact Leeanne Dollman (director) on 021 790 0141 or email.
About the author of this article, Connie Griessen
Connie Griessen is a retired divorced lady in her mid 60s with a variety of interests who has taken up writing as hobby. The article above was written as an assignment for a creative writing course she enrolled in with the Writers Bureau, a UK based organisation. She lives on a smallholding in Cape Town and has two grown up daughters. Her articles have also been published in Animaltalk, Footprints, Travel Magazine, and other travel channels. Connie is an animal lover, having 5 dogs, 3 cats as well as numerous farm animals. In her retirement, Connie has been running boarding kennels on the Cape Flats. She previously worked for Western Province Rugby and has many stories of the famous South African rugby players she has met and known as part of her job. Her hobbies include following Formula 1, gardening, music appreciation, and travel.
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