Wilson announces Leerorkest pilot for Saba
A youth orchestra pilot will launch at the beginning of the upcoming academic year on Saba, Commissioner of Culture Rolando Wilson announced on Wednesday, July 13th.
On Tuesday, July 12th, Commissioner Wilson and board member of the Saba Association of Caribbean States Foundation, Franklin Wilson, met with the Director of the Leerorkest Marco de Souza and a member of his team. They met at the offices of the Foundation Leerorkest in Amsterdam to further discuss the launching of the youth orchestra pilot on Saba.
The plan is to teach Saba children how to play various musical instruments during the pilot. The instruments are already available on the island, thanks to the assistance of the Saba Association of Caribbean States Foundation. The Leerorkest will assist and work with the local musicians in training the schoolchildren.
The Leerorkest has already established foundations in Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire and is already working with children on these islands, teaching them how to play various instruments. The Leerorkest visited Saba and St. Eustatius in October 2021 and saw the potential of the two islands and the children.
Commissioner Wilson is a great supporter of this project which offers great opportunities for the Saba children. "I would like to see music lessons in the schools' curriculum. There are many young, talented people eagerly waiting to learn how to play an instrument," he said.
Wilson said that during his visit to the Leerorkest in Amsterdam, he saw children playing different instruments. "It felt good seeing them playing. With this pilot, our children on Saba will also be able to benefit from this wonderful initiative," he said.
The Leerorkest will work with the Saba Association of Caribbean States Foundation, a foundation that has existed since January 2003. Funding has been made available by the Ministry of Justice and Safety (JenV) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) to the Foundation Leerorkest to assist Saba and Statia.