October Half Term: Day 1: After their arrival in Uganda, revived by a buffet lunch of goat stew and a nap, everyone was ready to venture out to Mlisada Orphanage and the Brass for Africa bandstand. By the end of the tour of Mlisada, not one of the party was without a young child in their arms. The welcome concert from the Brass for Africa brass band was a joyful occasion that saw the Blue Coat and Ugandan musicians mixing for the first time. Afterwards, Tom Cobley presented music stands and some equipment for the workshop., and the social that followed was filled with the noises of spontaneous playing, singing, dancing, clapping and laughing.

Day 2: The day began with an eye-opening tour of the Katwe slum. Several of our team said they felt extremely humbled seeing the living conditions and meeting hundreds of slum dwellers. The tour ended at the Mummy Foundation, a centre of safety, learning and music education for young girls in the Katwe slum, built and funded by Brass for Africa. We were treated to two short brass concerts and a moving performance by the choir. The rest of the day was spent at Tender Talents, rehearsing for our tour concerts, joining with a 60-strong African choir and 28-piece brass band was uplifting. By then, all the musicians had started to enjoy each other’s company and you could see them sitting together and socialising at lunch and between rehearsals. The power of music!

Day 3: Everyone pulled out all the stops for their final rehearsals and first performance. Children from outreach projects were bused to the bandstand, and made an attentive audience. ”Kipendacho’ by Brass for Africa founder Jim Trott (who organized the tour) and former Blue Coat teacher Lizzie Burrowes saw its world premiere, and the students performed them with great feeling.

Day 4: We performed at two very different local schools. The first, St Peter’s, had a small entrance, but as our students entered, eyes widened as an audience of 3,200 children was revealed. Imagine the noise! They stood in the beating sun of an open courtyard, waiting for us to take to the stage. This might have been the biggest gig of our lives, and the audience were not wasted on the performers. The energy was absolutely superb. This was followed by a visit to the much smaller and poorer St Kizito. Our performance was a very special occasion for them, and they were captivated by the music. ‘Waka waka’ became our encore, and on this occasion the choir started a full-on conga with all the school children joining in the dancing. Later that day, the group visited the Good Shepherd Home orphanage – a tour that was hard hitting and, although the state of ma ny of the abandoned, disabled children was related before hand, the reality was difficult to see. At first this was upsetting for many of the party, but once we began playing and singing, it became clear that the music brought huge amounts of joy and excitement for those listening. The young people of the orphanage who take twice weekly music lessons played to us, and the sense of well being, focus and confidence they displayed in their performance showed us the importance of music in their lives.

Day 5: The safari trip to Murchison Falls National Park was a great success. The “Big 5” were spotted, and large groups of elephants and giraffes strutted their stuff, often from just a few metres away. The top-of-the-falls walk was breathtaking, and we were glad to be soaked by the spray at the top of our walk after the intense humidity on the  climb. The boat ride along the Nile was a relaxing way to view more game on the banks, crocodiles and hippos in the water and many beautiful birds overhead. The rest camp, known as “the hottest place to chill in Uganda” was idyllic, and we managed to share the porches of our safari tents with a roaming hippo and two warthogs without too much trouble. Then it was back for dinner and dancing at the outdoor restaurant ‘Fuego’, with a superb live jazz band including Brass for Africa teacher Julius on trombone. The brass players and singers all joined the stage for one or two numbers, and the owner said: “You guys rocked the house”.

Day 6: Today we have been to Kabaka’s Palace (the king of Buganda), learnt about some of the traditions of the kingdom we are in, and some of the history of the last three presidents. We viewed Idi Amin’s eerie torture chambers, where 19,000 people were murdered during his rule. Then to the craft market for some shopping, and now most of the group are sporting some questionable trousers.

Day 7: The 20th anniversary concert was a triumph. A rowdy but appreciative audience whooped and cheered as we played and sang, and Her Excellency the High Commissioner clapped hard from the front row.
Day 8: Mlisada director Bosco’s wedding: The group left for the church resplendent in their Ugandan patterned and colourful finer,y which made a great impression on the other guests. The Blue Coat brass boys played the groom down the aisle as a septet, playing Clarke’s ‘Trumpet Voluntary’ from the balcony. They sounded brilliant together and it was an appropriately poised and exciting performance. The reception carried on late into the evening, with much celebratory music and dancing. Jim Trott’s ‘Enter the hero: Bosco’s theme’, played by the brass band, greeted the bride and groom at the venue, and ‘Circle of Life’ from ‘The Lion King’ was sung by the choir and accompanied by the band as the cake was being cut.

Day 9: .We enjoyed some rest and relaxation by the pool at the home of Brass for Africa’s Rebecca. We invited the Brass for Africa teachers to share the barbecue and it was special to be able to enjoy our last hours in Uganda with these people who have come to mean a lot to us.
– From the tour blog by former Blue Coat music teacher, Lizzie Burrowes, who organised the tour with Jim Trott