Bass Coast Post
  • Home
    • Recent articles
  • Federal Election 2025
  • News
    • Point of view
    • View from the chamber
  • Writers
    • Anne Davie
    • Anne Heath Mennell
    • Bob Middleton
    • Carolyn Landon
    • Catherine Watson
    • Christine Grayden
    • Dick Wettenhall
    • Ed Thexton
    • Etsuko Yasunaga
    • Frank Coldebella
    • Gayle Marien
    • Geoff Ellis
    • Gill Heal
    • Harry Freeman
    • Ian Burns
    • Joan Woods
    • John Coldebella
    • Julie Paterson
    • Julie Statkus
    • Kit Sleeman
    • Laura Brearley >
      • Coastal Connections
    • Lauren Burns
    • Liane Arno
    • Linda Cuttriss
    • Linda Gordon
    • Lisa Schonberg
    • Liz Low
    • Marian Quigley
    • Mark Robertson
    • Mary Whelan
    • Meryl Brown Tobin
    • Michael Whelan
    • Mikhaela Barlow
    • Miriam Strickland
    • Natasha Williams-Novak
    • Neil Daly
    • Patsy Hunt
    • Pauline Wilkinson
    • Richard Kemp
    • Sally McNiece
    • Terri Allen
    • Tim Shannon
  • Features
    • Features 2024
    • Features 2023
    • Features 2022
    • Features 2021
    • Features 2020
    • Features 2019
    • Features 2018
    • Features 2017
    • Features 2016
    • Features 2015
    • Features 2014
    • Features 2013
    • Features 2012
  • Arts
  • Local history
  • Environment
  • Nature notes
    • Nature notes
  • A cook's journal
  • Community
    • Diary
    • Courses
    • Groups
    • Stories
  • Contact us

And the band played on

16/7/2020

3 Comments

 
PictureLyndal Chambers and Brian ‘Strat’ Strating lead the virtual street band parade.
By Laura Brearley
 
SOMETHING wonderful and ridiculous took place a few weeks ago during the depths of the first COVID lockdown. Community music leaders from Inverloch, Lyndal Chambers and Brian ‘Strat’ Strating, brought people together from far and wide and led a virtual street band parade. It was colourful, joyful and totally absurd.
 
Normally, at the end of May, Community Music Victoria hosts a music camp at Grantville. People of all ages and levels of musical ability come together for a weekend of music-sharing, workshops and performances. The music camp always culminates in a street band parade in which people dress up, play music and parade their way around the camping ground.

Picture
Watch Terry Melvin’s short film ‘The Extraordinary Virtual Street Band Parade’
on Vimeo  https://vimeo.com/437745509
on YouTube https://youtu.be/_L1AZw6HYn
The times we live in are far from normal, so this year the music camp was conducted on-line. Up for the challenge, Lyndal and Strat led the street band parade in front of a computer screen in their lounge room.  The experience broke through the two-dimensions of Zoom with its small boxes of seemingly disembodied faces. That they were able to pull it off was testament to their years of experience leading street bands down real roads. It also revealed the sense of fun in the community and their willingness to experiment playfully in the virtual world. Most of all, it demonstrated the power of music to bring people together.
Lyndal and Strat have long understood this. Generosity and warmth have been underpinning principles of their community music practice throughout their lives. “Music is the universal language,” Strat says. “Music touches us in the heart and so then we connect. It’s about the access and welcome, the inclusivity of making music together.”
 
Lyndal also believes music is a unifying force. “Music ties people together,” she says. “Music brings a sense of joy and life and connection.”
 
Even against the backdrop of the suffering and sorrow of the pandemic, an experience like this reminds us of our resilience and our capacity for joy. At a time when many people are feeling isolated and disconnected, it is an important reminder that we are going through this experience together. There are many ways we can be here for each other and connect, even across distance.
 
In the words of the nineteenth century English novelist George Eliot “What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”
Picture
3 Comments
Mary Whelan
18/7/2020 12:54:34 pm

To Terry & Laura, Lyndall & Strat

That looked like alot of fun! Thankyou

Reply
Ellen Hubble
20/7/2020 01:15:55 pm

'Streets ahead' with your Fantastic initiative and VERY entertaining!!!! Music filling the gaps!! Just great.

Reply
MaggieL
20/7/2020 04:36:10 pm

It was great fun to participate in this event

Reply



Leave a Reply.