- The NSA hosted several specialisation schools on stage to showcase their shared passion for music.
- The youngsters learnt various new skills, including PR and festival production.
- Guests and organisers agreed that gathering youngsters on drug-free platforms could lead to a bright future.
Saturday, 26 July marked the second edition of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz – Jazz for Young People at the National School of the Arts (NSA) in Braamfontein. The youth bands hosted by NSA included the East Rand School of the Arts, Morris Isaacson Centre for Music, Parktown Girls Marimba Band; Springs Boys’ High School and Willow Crescent Magnet School of Music Band.
READ: Jazz gets youthful makeover as young bands prepare for NSA concert with Zoë Modiga
The sibling group Biko’s Manna and some of the pupils who spoke to City Press last week unanimously told the publication about the value of the communities formed at such events.
Lebo Mthembu, whose son was only introduced to the arts in high school, wanted her 14-year-old younger child to start earlier, believing her firstborn, who is now 16, would have benefited from starting in primary school.
“It’s important that our kids are shown the other side of life in drug-free environments. I think these things should be included in the schools’ curriculum because in primary school my son was just in the choir,” said Mthembu.
She lamented that school choirs were mostly just the tip of the iceberg, saying there was little depth to them. Mthembu said her son who has a passion for singing and is in the Springs Boys’ High School band, didn’t even know that he could make a career out of his artistry, nor that it could be more than just an extra-mural activity.
Siyamthanda Nonxuba, who led Willow Crescent in Malaika, Thandiswa Mazwai and Letta Mbulu tributes, said opportunities such as this concert were few and far between.
For her, the experience proved that her generation was capable of better things than the substance abuse often trending on social media. Nonxuba found the audience’s response to her band’s performances both affirming and motivational.
“It’s really motivating when people can see that there is more to us than the belief that 2000s are naughty, 2000s are ungovernable, 2000s are this and that. We can show people that is not always the case,” she added.
Performing the music of older generations of artists helps us learn technique. We took what they did and added a little 2000s spice. Music back then was touching; it was not just surface level. They sang about what we faced as a country and an economy. Songs like Jikijela [by Mbulu] also teach us about our history.
— Siyamthanda Nonxuba
The young performers felt that sharing the stage allowed them to learn from, support and grow with peers who understood their challenges as fellow artists.
This was supported by a statement made by Standard Bank’s head of sponsorship Desiree Pooe, who shared with City Press that the youngsters were not just performing but steering the coordination ship as well.
The earlier these kids are exposed to such platforms, where they work behind the scenes and learn how to curate and coordinate a festival, said Pooe, the better for them. “We need to elevate the behind-the-scenes level of expertise in the arts. Young people need these platforms to support each other so that they can ascend sooner than the adults who didn’t have such opportunities when they were younger,” she added.
The young artists at the concert may be used to performing, but Pooe said the guidance of industry experts had a bigger impact.
Young people are interested and eager to learn and evolve. Last year, we were still testing the waters, and getting feedback made it important to integrate the youth and curate the concert in such a way that they became a part of coordinating the concert.
— Desiree Pooe
The organisers also learnt a thing or two, as Pooe explained that staging the concert on a weekday last year had meant a smaller audience turnout.
READ: Standard Bank Joy of Jazz artist line-up unveiling aligns with International Jazz Day
Standard Bank Joy of Jazz producer Mantwa Chinoamadi said such gatherings were a space for young people to showcase their potential, and being mentored by singer and songwriter Zoë Modiga gave them an outlook on their future through the eyes of someone who was once an NSA student.
According to Chinoamadi, introducing youngsters to the curatorship, from public relations to the technical running of the stage, was done to prepare them for bigger stages as they progress to becoming professional artists.
As someone who started attending festivals at a young age, she has firsthand understanding of how life-altering these experiences can be. She believes that this is an opportunity for parents to shift from worrying about who they can leave their children with and exposing them to these opportunities, in the same sense that gymnasts are started at a young age.
