It has been some COLD weeks for us PULSE participants in Norway, freezing, but busy! To keep warm at the Toneheim Music Academy, we had the first rehearsal with the Toneheim Field Band, a band that plays South African Field band music, the South African Field band way; through dancing and learning music by ear. All the Toneheim students participated and it was quite different and a bit challenging for them to not use sheet music and dance while playing at the same time

This was very interesting and every student loved it. We cant wait for the Toneheim Field Band to start with the rehearsals for the Budapest tour which will take place next year.

Otherwise we try to keep our PULSE high through exercising. Here, Owen and Sandile are walking around Toneheim.

These walks are one of the focus subjects we have chosen as it helps us exercise our body once a week. We also attend sport evenings every Wednesday!

Once a week, we take the train into Oslo to teach music in the Møllergata School Band.

Here, me and Sandile are teaching the kids percussion one on one. We also had rehearsals with the percussion group in Aurskog Beginner Band. They really enjoyed working with us.

At the Toneheim Academy we get lessons ourselves to develop our music skills.

This is me having a one on one lesson with Jaran who was a participant in the former Bands Crossing Boarder project between The South African Field Band Foundation and The Norwegian Band Federation. He came to Toneheim to have a concert for us, Toneheim students.  After the concert he decided to stay for a night because he wanted to spend time with us and I asked him to give me lessons on drum kit,since well, he is the best, and I learned a lot from him that Saturday.

The PULSE project has also become known in the media here in Norway. After I , Sandile and Owen performed some music at an old age home in Lørenskog, Oslo, they loved us so much we even appeared in a newspaper:

As you can see we have had a lot to do here; its busy, busy, busy. And its getting colder and colder and colder, soon there will be snow: Eish !!

Written by Pholoso Konopi