There are no borders when it comes to music. Sweet sounds are to be shared.
A group of Holy Trinity Academy band students made the trip to Cuba over the Easter break to share music, culture and laughs.
“It was interesting to play music with people that don’t even speak the same language and experience a different culture,” said Grade 12 student Kaitlyn Darrach. “Music has the same language.”
It was not sun and sand for the HTA group. The students stayed at Bayamo and Holguin, smaller communities than Havana and different than touristy Varadero.
“We really got to see the Cuban experience,” said HTA student Ella Cayetano. “I think the coolest part was these people had not a lot of things, but they all seemed really happy. It was a nice community to be around. I think if we would have been in a different community, it would have been a different dynamic… and for us to get to play music, it was just awesome.”
The trip was dynamic and with plenty of sound. These were members of the award-winning HTA band program afterall.
“One thing I took away from it is if they (the Cubans) do anything, they do it the best they can do,” Darrach said. “One school that we went to was focused on music and dance.
“It was dedicated to being the best artists that they can be.”
The HTA students learned to play claves, which is basically hitting two wooden rods together, as well as guiros, which has a piece of wood scraping over a pine-cone looking piece of wood.
“They play them really hard and amazingly,” said HTA student Nicole Maloney.
It was HTA music instructor Kathie Van Lare’s first trip to Cuba.
“I think from an educational perspective it went so far beyond playing music,” Van Lare said. “We had the opportunity to perform with a number of community bands. Their English wasn’t great and our Spanish wasn’t great.
“But people would sit down and smile and play music together.”
She said another aspect was how leadership started to emerge from the HTA students.
“Their ability to see them become leaders in that setting was very, very, gratifying,” Van Lare said.
The HTA students donated some instruments to the Cubans as well, focusing on the ones in the orchestra that provide a deep sound.
“The last time we were there, we were watching this band and a guy was playing tuba and it was mostly duct tape, there wasn’t very much left to it and that became our focus,” said HTA band director Martin Kennedy. “Plus we were able to come up with a catchy name.”
The project was called Tubas for Cuba.
They brought down a few more instruments as well to leave in Cuba.
“We took down an abundance of instruments,” said Gail Lafond, one of the trip’s co-ordinators. “It was a collaborative of many people. I would estimate there were 42 instruments – saxophones, trumpets, flutes, French horn, baritone, percussion, we had quite a few amazing instruments that we had purchased for a decent price.
“We just kept looking.”
She said the school received helped from several generous sponsors.
It was the fifth trip in approximately 11 years that HTA has gone down to Cuba.
“I think it is a good thing for our kids to see just how fortunate they are,” Kennedy said.
“Also, the culture is distinctive. If you go to Mexico you are going to find Starbucks and McDonald’s, but not there.
“They were shut off from the world and they are remarkably resourceful and proud of their culture.”
