Sister Cities 2014 Music Exchange

Sister cities music exchange hailed as a great success…….

~ Photos and Article by Latrobe City Council ~

The 2014 Music Exchange has been hailed as a huge success with seventeen young Latrobe City ambassadors, a Musical Director and Band Manager recently returning from our Sister Cities.

Since the inception of Latrobe City’s Sister Cities program and formal signing of agreements with Takasago (Japan) and Taizhou (China), over 550 young people from Latrobe City have now experienced Japanese and/or Chinese culture through exchanges with our sister cities.

Latrobe City’s International Relations program intends to serve many purposes, including the broadening of a range of existing cultural, sporting, and educational, youth and economic exchange opportunities and to establish a lasting friendly relationship. There is no doubt that the recent trip to Takasago and Taizhou met these objectives.

The program took place from the 27 June 2014 to 13 July 2014 encompassing visits and performances at Latrobe City’s Sister Cities, Takasago, Japan and Taizhou, China.

The dedication and commitment of the students both prior to and during their visits, was outstanding. Before the ensemble left Australia, they attended rehearsals, language and cultural awareness sessions, fundraising activities and performed at the Latrobe City Sister Cities Festival and the Traralgon Farmer’s Market. They also organized and participated in the Latrobe City Combined Bands Concert and the final concert in the Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon – where the students were conditioned to take full ownership of their performance by sharing the MC role, set up and pack up equipment, as well as socialising with the audience.

The program was very successful, enabling local musicians the opportunity to experience the culture of China and Japan by actually being part of a community, experiencing home-stays, attendance at schools and undertaking cultural activities.  The Latrobe City Ensemble performed admirably, providing excellent entertainment to large audiences. The repertoire consisted of Australian “made” or “influenced” works from a variety of musical genres.

Comment from the Band Director:

“This exchange program has definitely changed us all in one way or another. I can see that your young people definitely have a greater appreciation for the surroundings, amenities and resources they have at their disposal, as well as what is on offer to them, especially from an educational/study perspective. Upon arrival, I know some have changed their study focus to include an Asian language component as part of their current studies. I also know that some of our young people have had some difficulty in comprehending what family is in both Japan and China, as opposed to what it really is at home – in this instance such exchange programs are so vital for those who would never have had the opportunity to witness what family could possibly be like. I definitely know that this journey has influenced me, especially within my own work place and at home.” — Band Director, Joseph Bonnici

Although titled as being a “music exchange”, the music component to this program was somewhat secondary with the focus predominantly on enhancing cultural understanding and awareness.

At the conclusion on the trip the ensemble members all conveyed their thanks to Latrobe City Council, Musical Director, Band Manager and major sponsors – Allan Wilson Insurance, Gippsland Dental Group, Century Inn and everyone else who made their trip possible.

While there was a significant contribution made by council in terms of funding the trip, the majority of the trip was funded through corporate sponsorship, individual contributions and major fundraising initiatives.

In summary, the music exchange visit provided young people from a range of socio-economic backgrounds within the municipality, an opportunity to develop and demonstrate their musical and personal skills without any barriers and prejudices.