Learning the basics of keyboard playing, along with developing a working knowledge of the structural foundation of music and its various genres through the identification of cords and rhythm, will now be much easier for the students of the St. Leonard’s Boys School, thanks to a generous donation from Sagicor.
The leading insurance and financial institution recently donated nine refurbished computer systems to the music department of the tertiary institution, which has developed a well-deserved reputation for producing some of the finest, young musical talent on the island.
A mixture of laptops and desktops, the systems will be stationed in the second of the school’s two music labs, providing modern tools for the students to fully immerse themselves in the music programme.
Pernell Farley, the school’s music teacher and developer of the current approach to the modern curriculum, stated that the donation would go a long way towards achieving their goals.
“Every child that reaches second form is expected to be able to handle the basics of playing a keyboard, which is key to them developing an understanding of chords and rhythms, along with the ability to identify and name wide ranges of genres that make up the world of music,” he said, while accepting the systems.
“These will therefore be paired with keyboards, allowing the students to engage with the programme ‘Finale’, the international standard for music notation.”
In presenting the computer equipment, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Sagicor Life (Barbados) Inc, Paul Inniss, himself an avid music lover and instrumentalist, expressed his delight at being able to make the donation to the programme.
“As a corporate entity heavily reliant on technology, we are required to upgrade our systems periodically, which means changing out dozens of laptops and desktops at varying times. However, as many of these systems are still in great working condition when that time comes, we sought to find a better use for them as opposed to simply discarding them, and I could think of no better way to do that than by making donations such as this one.”
“Our vision at Sagicor is to be a great company committed to improving the lives of the individuals in the communities in which we operate, and the support of education and youth development are two key areas where we focus our efforts.
I’d therefore like to express my thanks to our IT team, who would’ve donated of their time to facilitate the refurbishment of the systems, and I’m confident that they will be of great benefit to the music programme and the students who use them,” Inniss said.
Also on hand to receive the donation, was principal of the school, Stephen Scott, who thanked Sagicor for assisting the school in its continued pursuit of excellence.
“Without this level of support from corporate Barbados, it is very difficult for schools to execute the quality of programmes needed to achieve the goals of the curriculum and its dedicated teachers.
This donation will go a long way towards helping us maintain the high musical standard we have become known for,” he said.
(PR)
