Brilliant & Beautiful

Brilliant and beautiful, two words that very appropriately sum up my seven months in Montserrat. And this is it - my final post here on this blog which I first started 224 days ago when I was fresh off the boat in that beautiful, tropical paradise. I would like to thank a few certain individuals in particular who have been immensely helpful whilst I was there and would like to pay tribute for without their help, my job would have been made much more immensely difficult.

First, Herman "Cupid" Francis is truly the epitome of the Montserrtain spirit - he grew up there and has stuck with Monty all through the various Soufrière eruptions, and now is a vital member in the community who is continually enthusiastic, helpful and loyal. As Director of Culture, he has a massive responsibility in making sure the arts and culture of Montserrat continues to thrive from strength to strength, and also ensures that tourism continues to flourish. Thank you for your help in getting me settled in, in helping to move things along and for helping to get organised when I first stepped off the plane without any much of a clue as to what to do.

Next, I would like to thank the governor of Montserrat and his wife, Adrian & Sujue Davis, for always being such welcoming hosts. If the spirit of Montserrat could be condensed into a brick-and-mortar household, it would be yours - endearing, generous and warm. Thank you for all your help, especially in planning the diamond jubilee recital. Sujue - I will always fondly remember your cooking (and wonder when might be the next chance I get to taste it)!

To everyone whom I met on Montserrat, thank you for showing me such a wonderful time - you have made it essentially a wonderful 7-month working holiday for me. Jo & I would also like to thank everyone who come to our informal wedding reception at the Royal Palm Club. It has been absolutely wonderful to get to know all of you and we hope to see you again soon at some point!

And finally, thanks to Sir George & Lady Judy Martin, Gordon Young and Clare Catchpole for essentially making it happen. Nothing would have even gotten off the ground if not for all the support, belief and conviction towards this inspiring project. And best wishes to Rebecca - I'm starting to get a bit envious of the wonderful year which I'm certain is lying ahead of you! And thanks to all my blog readers whom I hope have managed to enthral and entertain in some small way or another - I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I have been writing it. Here's till the next time I find myself on the Emerald Isle!

Veils & Shamrocks

Last week gone has been an ultimately busy week - it was St Patrick's on Saturday, and let me tell you, St. Patrick's really is a big thing in Montserrat! A week-long festival which started last Monday saw myself conducting the secondary school choir for their debut performance, playing with Volpanics in what was my first ever steel pan gig, dance behind a truck loaded with massive speakers moving at half a mile an hour (this is called a jump up!), embark on a rum shop tour, crash a stage where the string band was playing (well, not quite: I just grabbed a pair of shakers and edged in), and eat lots of food. Glorious, Caribbean food!

More pictures of these all to follow. But first, last night was the Emerald Community Singers' annual cabaret performance (as part of St Paddy's festival), and the Chinese folk dance quartet finally had their chance to showcase their moves in complete splendor. This folksong is native of the Xinjiang region in China, where majority of the region's total population adheres to Islam. This lyrics describe a young lady whose beautiful features are covered by a veil, and she is being edged on by the singer to reveal some of her alluring facial features, while he extols her resplendent qualities in song.


This item was performed by Gerren Gerrald, Beth Breuer, Vicky Wilson and Cupid Francis, with Sujue Davis providing artistic advisory and myself playing music man, of course.

Radio interviews & Folk dancing

Last Wednesday, ZJB Radio Montserrat paid a visit to the music classrooms to catch a glimpse of some of the Form 1s in the midst of their music lessons, as well as to give some of my students and myself a quick interview. Students were asked about their impression of the music programme so far and what they hope to achieve from it. We talked briefly about my role on the island, what I have set out to achieve and whether there will be someone taking over when I leave in July (of which there will be someone).

A Form 1 student being interviewed.

Students sharing their thoughts.

Lesson activities written out in old-school chalk.

The radio interview was broadcast on the same day an hour later, which I unfortunately missed. In other news, my exploration and familiarization of Montserrat continues, and last week marked the first time I explored Lookout, a big housing 'village' project meant to relocate Montserratians after the last major eruption in 1995. Lookout has quite a young demographic of residents and is quite a hive of community bustle.

Marguerita Bay, adjacent to Lookout.

I have embarked on another community 'cultural' project, this time with Sujoe Davis - the governor's wife. She originally hails from China and is a well-travelled lady who has, along with her husband, served in many different diplomatic posts with the Foreign Office in many various countries around the world. She is also quite a linguist, who fluently speaks Japanese, Teochew, English, Mandarin, and a smattering of Arabic and Thai.

She has proposed that a Xinjiang folk dance be performed during the St Patrick's Day celebrations, with Cupid - the Director of Culture - singing in Mandarin whilst accompanied by a bevy of dancing ladies. Sujoe herself has choreographed the Chinese folk dance routine, and I have been arranging the music and accompanying rehearsals. So far they have been a good laugh, although sooner or later we'll have to buckle down if we want to get that pronunciation sorted out!

Cupid enjoying a wee tease.

Community-based ensembles such as Small Beginnings and Volpanics commence this month, having broken up for Christmas. Workload will certainly increase, and this, however, has not been placated by a somewhat frustrating lack of logistical and administrative support from the school. I am now considering trying to run after-school activities through a more 'community'-based channel through the Ministry of Culture (of which Cupid does a fantastic job in leading it), instead of trying to run them through the school and, indirectly, via the Ministry of Education.