Concert proceeds to help refurbish Alpha

Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer

Sister Shirley Chung, the director of Alpha Boys' School, has big plans for the institution. A fund-raising concert at the National Indoor Sports Centre last Saturday, the first instalment of what is slated to be an annual event, should help to realise those plans.

The director told The Gleaner that the concert was part of a drive to bring in $3 million, to be used in a major refurbishing programme. To be upgraded, Chung said, were the dormitories, dining room, bathrooms, the school band's musical instruments and the football field. Additionally, a professional basketball court is to be built. The two sports areas, which should be ready within two months, will be rented out to earn extra money.

That is not all. Sis Shirley also spoke of the setting up of an endowment fund so that contributions to the school can be made from anywhere in the world. It is fitting, as though the musicians are trained there, the reach of the school extends way beyond the island's borders. Patrons of Saturday night's concert would have seen evidence of that fact even before they entered the centre. Displayed on a wall by the entrance was a large canvas bearing the names of scores of former students of the school who had excelled in music.

numerous instruments

The names, many known internationally, included Don Drummond, Joe Harriot, Bertie King, Lennie Hibbert, Cedric 'Im' Brooks, Dizzie Reese, David Madden, Leroy Smart, Winston 'Yellowman' Foster, Dwight Richards, Tony Gregory, and brothers Ian and Shaun Hird. The numerous and varied instruments they played were listed beside their names, as well as the national honours many have received.

To those knowledgeable about Jamaican music, the names on the canvas at the gate would have indicated the quality of the music available inside, at the concert. Since most of the music in the two hours devoted to bands came from graduates of the school's music programme, the playing was generally very good. In the second half of the concert, solo reggae artistes performed.

Organised by past student Kempton Lewis and the Rotary Club, the concert featured the Military, Alpha Alumni, Alpha Boys' School, Unit 3, Omega Element and 50:50 bands.

Winston 'Sparrow' Martin, director of the Alpha music programme for the past 24 years, conducted the Alpha bands. He was joined onstage at one point by Dwight Richards, who led a combined Alpha Boys' band (nearly 50 strong) in singing the school song, Upward and Onward.

The predominant type of music in the bands' segment was jazz, but the Dr Aggrey Irons-led 50:50 band focused on reggae, delighting the smaller-than-expected audience with World of Reggae Music, Now That We've Found Love and Peter Tosh's Buckingham Palace, among other songs.

During band changes, video clips giving information on past students like Leroy Smart and Tommy McCook were projected on to screens at both sides of the stage. One video showed former long-serving principal Sis Mary Ignatius being interviewed about the history of Alpha. Emcees Jody Ann Grey and Andrew Lawrence also ladled out relevant information.

Commenting on the excellence of the music played by the Alpha bands past and present, they told the audience, "I'm sure you'll agree that our (musical) future is bright."

Nods and applause indicated the audience's assent.