Way back in 2014-2015, when PULSE 2 was on exchange, the Activity Library was born. It is a video collection of activities and games meant as inspiration for field band staff when planning and executing life skills sessions, band rehearsals and workshops. These videos were filmed during band visits and workshops around South Africa. In the years following PULSE 2 several more videos were added. 12 videos were also made in Norway in the spring and summer of 2020 by the South Participants of PULSE 7 in collaboration with Norges Musikkorps Forbund (NMF). Now, all these videos have been gathered in one place and will be made digitally available to POs and SOs on their devices.

The activities in the Activity Library have been divided into seven categories to make it easier to find an activity that suits your needs. Are you trying to break out of your routine and to do something new when teaching music theory? Do you need a game to make the members listen to each other more? Are the members tired when coming from long school days and need to get some energy? Whatever the scenario, someone else may have already thought of an activity for it!

The categories in the Activity Library are:

• Warmups
• Ice breakers
• Energizers
• Team builders
• Ideas for new ways of teaching
• Dance (new)
• Creative Corner (new)

During this year it has been challenging to plan rehearsals and to find activities that can safely be done while maintaining proper social distancing to avoid spreading COVID-19. Field band rehearsals should be safe and fun for everyone to participate in, and to ensure this each category has two folders. These will be marked “COVID-19 friendly activities” which can be used now while remembering to safely maintain social distancing, and “other activities” which should be saved for after the pandemic.

PULSE and Field Band Education are proud to relaunch the Activity Library to field band staff with the hopes that this will lead to many great moments in field bands across all of South Africa!

Photos: Ingrid Thorstensen

Written by: Ingrid Thorstensen