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Swagga T
Remember the High School Musical trilogy movie which gave birth to a lot of school musical bands through its inspiration? Some of those bands are leaving their mark on the global music scene as they have excelled to greater heights.
Late last year St John’s College made headlines when they toured and performed in Scotland.
Musica 2014, the Italian Embassy organised annual music festival which this year runs from October 18 to 25 will for the first time incorporate the Battle of School Bands in its programming.
The competition which is open only to high school bands will be held on October 18 at the Italian Club in the capital.
In a statement, the Italian Embassy said that the show will run from 3pm to 8pm and entrance is free. The statement said that the Musica Battle of Bands seeks to foster music skills development among young and emerging artistes, provide them with opportunities for exposure and facilitate cultural exchange.
The top three winners will be invited to perform on the main stage at the Embassy of Italy during the festival, alongside established international and local artistes.
The competition will allow each band to perform and show the jury their skills for 10 minutes during the first round which will be followed by a second round where the best five bands will perform one song after which the top three will be selected.
An experienced jury will judge the performances based on music presentation; looking at aspects that include lyrical content, clarity, overall musical performance, stage presence, interaction with the audience, appearance, originality and audience response.
Among some of the schools that have confirmed include Heritage School, Hellenic School Jazz Band, Prince Edward Jazz Band, ZRP Tomlison, Harare International School and St John’s College.
The event which previously ran under the title “Italian Jazz Festival” was this year re-branded to Musica.
The brand captures the event’s new focus on a broader range of world music and reflects its cultural diversity.
This year presents a variety of musical genres and influences including folk, jazz, ethno music, R’n’B, rock, Afro pop, rock and fusion.
Musica 2014 is sponsored by FBC Bank, Salini Costruttori, Freight World, Ethiopian Airlines, Meikles Hotel, Progressive Insurance Brokers, Sontine Travel, the Zimbabwe German Society, Econet Wireless, MedLog (Private Limited), Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Just Doors, Peroni, Only Italian and Fiat.
Online Reporter