Over the last weeks we’ve been having changes in our teams in Oslo and Johannesburg. We’ve said our goodbyes to Ann Elise, Kaja, Vuyani and Sthembiso, and it’s time to welcome our new PULSE participants!

Siri Storheim

Siri is a musician from Bergen, Norway. She started playing the french horn after being recruited by the local wind band at the age of 9. The same love and enthusiasm for band playing is as present now, at the age of 28. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music performance from The Norwegian Academy of Music and University of Southern California. Since graduating in 2022, she has worked as a freelance musician and music teacher in Oslo. She has also been active in different organizations and boards within the culture sector in Europe, in addition dipping her toe into journalism.

“I was introduced to the PULSE program when studying at Toneheim in 2014-2015 alongside five participants from South Africa, and I was inspired by their playful approach to teaching and playing. Since then, several people I know have traveled the other way, and I think it’s an incredible opportunity to live and work on a different continent while still working with music.”

Siri will contribute to the Education Department team with her solid musical background in addition to her experience from teaching and organization work.

“I hope that I will contribute positively to the Field Band Foundation, and bring some fresh perspective to the organization. But most of all I think I will be the one to learn and be inspired, and I’m excited to bring new knowledge back to Norway. During my exchange I also want to see and experience as much of South Africa as possible, and of course to try all the wonderful local food.”

Siri will be joining our current team in Johannesburg along with Marita and Fredrik, and have already started working with the Education Department in Field Band Foundation.

Letlhogonolo Andrew Modisane

Letlhogonolo Andrew Modisane is 28 years old, born and raised in the township Kagiso 2 in Johannesburg. He started playing music at the age of 7 in a church band and joined the Field Band Foundation in 2006 as a trumpet player. He started working for FBF in 2016 as a brass tutor, but the same year he was selected to march for Pioneer Drum and Burgle Corps in the United States for two seasons in 2016/2017. He was awarded the best trumpet in the Brass section in his second season.

Andrew got selected for the Music Makes a Difference programme in 2019, a exchange programme between FBF and Toneheim Folkehøgskole in Norway to attend the music folk college for a year along with Norwegian students. After the exchange program he got appointed to Band Coordinator in Setlabothja Field Band in 2022, which ended up winning the FBF National Championships in 2023, along with first place in six categories.

“I Joined the PULSE exchange program because I want to grow as an individual so that I can be able to develop others with the knowledge and skills that I have. I also want to work on my musical skills and experience international cuisine, celebrate traditional customs and learn the history of another country.”

Letlhogonolo has an impressive musical background with great merits, has been a trusting role model in Setlabothja Field Band and will be a great addition to our team in Oslo.

Mxolisi Hlatshwayo

Mxolisi Hlatshwayo is a 35-year-old percussionist who joined the Field Band Foundation at the age of 11 years in year 1999 as dancer. Back then they we were called tiny tots (Amapansula). In 2000 he got interested in playing a marching bass drum but was too short to play while marching, but his tutor Mr Kenny advised to rather choose a snare drum. He shortly became one of the best in the percussion section.

Mxolisi went to the FBF Academy in 2011 as the second round of students. He learned how to read a music score and studied many musical subjects such as music theory, history, music reflection and interpretation. He attended different musical workshops that included leadership seminars and seminars on teaching skills, and became a highly acknowledged FBF staff member.

He became a percussion tutor in Alexandra FBF in 2009, a Band Coordinator in 2017 and have been acting Project Officer for three years. He’s been the Band Coordinator in Soweto FBF for a while, and they hold the 1^st position trophy for marching percussion for four consecutive National Championships in a row (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023).

Mxolisi was selected to participate in two FBF tours to Norway in 2014 and 2018, which made him very excited about applying for the PULSE programme.

“I am very excited to be a PULSE participant in Oslo along with Paseka and Andrew, as we are all three from Soweto. I’m looking forward to working with them and working in the PULSE project in the Norwegian Band Federation (NMF) in Norway.”

Mxolisi has been a trustworthy colleague in the Field Band space for many years, and we’re so excited to see his engaging spirit in our Oslo team!

Written by the participants
Edited by Fredrik Haga
Pictures by Marita Stortjønnli-Solvang and Paseka Batshegi

2023 is coming to an end, and in August we had the pleasure of welcoming our latest PULSE-participant to our team in South Africa.

Marita Stortjønnli Solvang

Marita Stortjønnli-Solvang is a 29 year old flutist who have been playing in wind bands since she was 7 years old. After she left her hometown she went to study classical flute at Toneheim in 2013/2014. After Toneheim she got a Bachelor’s degree in classical music performance from the Grieg Academy (University of Bergen) and a Master’s degree in music education from the Norwegian Academy of Music. Besides her studies she spent her time voulenteering at a student culture house and worked as a tutor and conductor in different school bands. After finishing her studies she worked two years in the international office at the Norwegian Academy of Music and did a continuing study in Art and Cul­ture Management. Her experience both as a tutor and from working in the study administraton makes Marita a great addition to our team in Johannesburg.

“I met five BCB participants from Field Band Foundation in Toneheim, and ever since that I really wanted to be a part of the exchange project, but the timing was never good. After my contract in the study administration at NMH ended after 2 years the timing was finally perfect and I packed my bags and moved to South Africa. “

As a PULSE participant she will be involved in many parts of the Education departments activities and contributing greatly on teaching skills and music facilitation, as well with her great organisational skills

“I want to use my knowledge and experience as a music educator when working with the members in the field. I would also use this opportunity to upskill myself and learn as much as possible about the FBF and the South African culture during my stay.”

Marita will not be working alone, as she will join the current team in Johannesburg.
You can read more about them here.

Written by Marita Stortjønnli Solvang
Pictures by Umma Dipa and Sondre Aksnes Yggeseth

How does different cultural and social contexts impact musical leadership styles? In this blog post, I explore the differences between South African field bands and Norwegian school bands. In addition, I try to understand how these differences affect the leadership of the bands.

I grew up learning to play the electric guitar in a very typical way for a kid born in the mid-1990s: I would explore different styles of music eagerly, and then search the internet for tutorial videos or tabulatures showing me how to play the amazing guitar riffs that I loved listening to. Whenever I couldn´t find any of these resources, I was left to begin the strenuous but rewarding process of transcribing the songs using only my ears.

As I grew up, I eventually attended a music program in high school. I was taught how to read sheet music and I was introduced to a whole new world of music. I was now playing jazz and even classical music on the guitar I bought with the sole purpose of rocking out. One might say that I was being introduced to the world where my school band-based classmates grew up.

However, when I travelled to South Africa 11 months ago to actually work with such bands, I once again had to dive into the world of «show and tell» music education. I could no longer rely on a score to communicate the music for me. If I wanted to teach music, I had to fully integrate the music in my heart and mind. In short, I had to rediscover the very same way of learning music that I started out with myself

Different context, different leadership

The partners of the PULSE project, Field Band Foundation (FBF) and the Norwegian Band Federation (NMF), works in two very differens social contexts. The FBF focuses on music that is taught efficiently, and emphasises life skills just as much as music. NMF introduces youth to the longstanding tradition of western orchestral music. Even though they work in different ways, both aim to help children experience self-mastery through music. My theory is that the difference lies in what self-mastery looks like in their communities.

Outside the rehearsal space the musicians of NMF are encountering an ever increasing social and academic pressure. The entry requirements to higher education have become ever more difficult the last couple of years, and different societal pressure is affecting even young children. I am not saying that South African youth doesn´t meet these challenges. But when the rehearsal space is surrounded by crime, drugs and unemployment, your parents telling you to do your homework might not be your primary concern in life.  

And speaking of parents, they themselves illustrate an important observation I have made. I apologise for stereotyping, but these are the examples we often have in mind when looking at the parents as part of the banding ecosystem. We know that it does not illustrate the whole thruth, but it gives an insight into an important part of the truth.

In the NMF, banding parents are often highly engaged and a central part of the band leadership. They are board members and take pride showing up for fundraising activities.

The FBF parents, on the other hand, are not necessarily able to provide that same support. They might be working irregular hours and in many cases they do not have the emotional or economic capacity to support their children. Sometimes going to rehearsals even provide the members with a relief from their abusive parents or other guardians. Lastly, speaking of guardians, all of this is presuming that the parents are still around. As opposed to Norway, this is not always a given. They might have left their unplanned children in the hands of grandparents, they might have to move away to provide for their family, or they might have fallen victim to the societal ill of early death in South Africa.  

The reason why I think it is important to recognize the state of the parent role, is because it reflects the necessity of leadership that the bands provide.

The Norwegian school bands has a distinct conductor who guides a neatly set up band through the daunting sheet music in front of them. The conductor is a musical mentor, helping the children to excel as musicians in much the same way that you might see in a professional symphony orchestra.

In the field band, the rehearsals look more like a school yard at recess — only that the favourite toys available are musical instruments. It is lively, loud and at times chaotic. But it is far from an unstructured mess. The band coordinator and tutors are carefully teaching the bamd members music with a highly efficient approach, combining «show and tell» and training the members ears. The social officer checks up on the members well-being, and serves as an important adult role model in their lives. On top of all this, the project officer oversees the rehearsal and makes all the administrative elements run smoothly.

Usually, the leadership even join in the playing themselves, as most of them once where members themselves. I often compare it to older siblings teaching their younger siblings a new game. They still enjoy the game, but they also provide mentorship and guidance. The tutoring combine a one-to-one teaching approach with a more collective approach of leading the whole section. In the Norwegian context, the one-to-one teaching is usually reserved for separate lessons at the local music school, which happen in addition to the band rehearsals. 

I think the closer interaction between band members and leadership also stems from the fact that the leaders of the different field bands come from a similar social context as their members. They are not just some distant conductor with a master´s degree. They are often role models that the members can identify with. They are often less than 10 years older than the band members and have in many cases been members of the very same band they are now leading.

Not to say that the conductor of a Norwegian school band is not a role model, but they are a very different role model. They are musical experts, and they play an important role in inspiring a new generation of musicians. However, to a child who just want to play music with their friends, the conductor is probably not as relatable as a band coordinator or tutor that lives in the same street as you and who has experienced the very same reality that you are now coping with.

Learning to teach music differently.

As a somewhat serious Norwegian with a very nerdy relationship to music, I experience my role as a band leader very differently in South Africa. When I used to teach Norwegian ten year olds how to play guitar in a one-to-one lesson, I had the luxury of giving them my full attention and work on the nuances in their playing. As they improved, we could go on to more challenging pieces.

In the Field Band, I am surrounded by literal tons of young children (you can imagine how many units of children that adds up to). I have to come up with arrangements that are easily digestible while still being fun to play. For them, playing three chords with a cool groove is more importantly than to learn something that sounds impressive. Even the more advanced players will enjoy these simple arrangements. Rather than playing more complex parts, they experience growth through guiding their fellow band members. Don´t get me wrong: The senior members have great musical skills. However, in the rehearsal they often find themselves honing their teaching skills just as much as their instrumental chops. 

The sibling-esque leadership of the FBF and the clear hierarchy of NMF express the needs of two different social contexts. Take these two personas for instance:

Thabo is a South African 11-year-old. He is living with an abusive grandmother and sometimes drink alcohol with his friends. Thabo might join the field band for the possibility to have fun for a couple of hours within a safe space in the rather unsafe world he is living in.

Lisa is a Norwegian 15-year-old. She has already decided that she wants to study medicine. She is also working at a café on the weekends to save up money so she can buy an appartement. Her motivation in the band might be to make her parents, who are board members in the band, proud by playing a complex arrangement.

Both are examples of youth having increased well-being and self mastery through musicking but in two completley different social contexts.

And naturally, the two musical contexts rely on two very different types of role models. Both band leaders might be competent and caring, but the difference lies in what quality is more important for them to succeed in their job. The Norwegian conductor can be a brilliant conductor, even if they are not the most sympathetic human in the world.

The South African tutor or band coordinator might not use «proper» musical figures when conducting or know how to read sheet music, but will succeed in their job as long as they manage to motivate and support the band members.

However, I find inspiration from both styles of leadership: The relationally strong band coordinator and the highly educated conductor. And I believe that we as music educators and role models should aspire towards mastering both leadership styles. Sadly, and especially in the western world, there is sometimes an overemphasis on mastering musical skills. Not only do I believe that being a motivating role model makes you a better leader for youth, but I think internalising music so deeply as if you were to teach each individual band member by ear can make you a better musician.

Understanding a score is useful, but there is an immense power in learning to free yourself from it. Over this last year I have learned just that, and I have noticed that my leadership abilities and musical confidence has increased. And all I really did was, oddly enough, to return to my musical roots. I returned to the raw passion of a teenager that wanted to learn music simply because he it sounds cool. Only now, I do it with the knowledge of somebody with a master’s degree in musicology. The way I see it, we can use the western method of theoretical score making in preparation for musical leadership. However, when it comes down to teaching music, we can all benefit from freeing ourselves from the theory and spend more energy connecting with the musicians making the music come alive. After all, music is first and foremost an auditory art form, not a visual one.  

Written by Sondre Aksnes Yggeseth
Photos by Sondre Aksnes Yggeseth, Franqo Ntshole and Hanna Bakke Negård

Recently, PULSE attended the first music for all conference, as part of the Chords of Community collaboration with Norges Musikkorps Forbund, Field Band Foundation, The University of Witwatersrand and The Norwegian Academy of Music.

The first Music for All conference took place in Oslo in April this year. It is an international meeting place and learning arena for students and teachers. The conference aims to strengthen the quality of higher music education through international cooperation between universities and NGOs, as well as strengthening the relevance of Home Medical Equipment (HME) by focusing on inclusion, diversity, and intercultural competence.

Norges Musikkorps Forbund (NMF) and Field Band Foundation (FBF) participated in this conference as they both contribute towards positive development in their communities.

During this conference, NMF and FBF — along with other organisations involved — exchanged knowledge on how they do activities in their different projects. We discussed different methods of teaching, inclusive music education, exchange programs, and ways to sustain our projects.

Most importantly, PULSE shared methods of getting members to stay in the band longer and making band rehearsals attractive namely playing instruments while dancing or moving and social based games as part of creating a safe space for everyone.

The Participants got an opportunity to visit a Norwegian school band and to see how they work in their local projects. Here, we were able to observe and learn ways we can use to sustain and better our projects.

The Music for All conference concluded by a big concert hosted by all the participants. Here different cultures, dances and music styles were combined to showcase the effectiveness of international collaborations.

Written by Lesley Sebola

As part of NMF’s youth lift, the PULSE south participants have introduced the project Øvingskollektivet (the practice collective). In this blog post, you will learn more about what this project is and what it is trying to achieve.

What is Øvingskollektivet and why is it important for the youth?

Øvingskollektivet is a new initiative from Norges Musikkorps Forbund (NMF), which is led by the PULSE South Participants. The project aims to empower young people with the skills to run evening programs, such as band music practice support and a self-study platform. These programs are open to that is open to all young musicians, no matter where they’re playing.

These activities are part of the Youth Lift, which is an NMF project that aims to develop and bring young people together through music, exercises, and other social activities. The project is targeting young people between the age of 13 and 19.

10 youths partook in this program, and they are now working as music study support along with PULSE at Bjølsen and Nordpolen youth lift project in Oslo every Monday and Thursday from 17:00 to 20:00.

Why are we providing running these programs?

We intends to create a platform for youth to self-practice, develop instrumental skills and reinforce the relationship between musicians. In addition, we are creating a safe space for our participants to learn new skills, where we can provide youth with inclusive methods of teaching and coaching. This is so that they can offer social support to the young children and advice in case of challenges.

What’s in it for the youth and the community at large? 

Through this project, PULSE aims to provide youth with inclusive methods of teaching and develop them into empathetic citizens who may continue to serve their communities in positive ways when they become adults. In addition, we are getting youth involved in community development. This is one of the major aims of this educational youth lift project.

What do NMF and PULSE plan going forward about the projects?  

PULSE will continue to be accountable and ensure that all children feel welcome, safe and help them become better musicians. We aim to keep this youth development program running for the next 5 years to further help youth with practicing their music in the evening.

Written by Lesley Sebola and Paseka Batshegi
Photos by Paseka Batshegi