In 2007, Marcelino Fielies and seven other “troublemakers” at a primary school in Heideveld, were referred to the Music for Life Programme. Seven years later, Marcelino is a marimba teacher, community role model and proud MusicWorks facilitator.
[hr style=”1″ margin=”40px 0px 40px 0px”]
In Marcelino’s words:
“I would like to work with people in my community, through music. My community has too much gangsterism. People do bad stuff to fit in with other people.
I want to make the world a better place. My plan with music is to teach it to other people of all ages… [ ]. I care for the people in the community… I am going to print in their minds that they can fit in by doing good stuff as well.
I’ve been playing the marimbas and drums for five years with MusicWorks. I started to teach children in my community to play marimba since the beginning of 2012. I can actually see what they are going through in life, because before I was part of it.
I crawled, then I walked. Now I am running… I never knew I would get as far as I did. … I observed what other people did, and I thought to myself, I can do it as well. I can show others.
Teaching is making me more responsible because I must be an example. I can see how children are looking up to me through teaching them and being a good example.
[hr style=”1″ margin=”40px 0px 40px 0px”]
He taught me how to play. Three days – then I got it right. I am proud for myself and for him. Want hy hoor vir ons, en ons hoor vir hom. (Because he hears us and we hear him).
– A marimba student of Marcelino’s
[hr style=”1″ margin=”0px 0px 40px 0px”]
It makes me feel proud of myself to know that there are people looking up to me.”
Marcelino is currently teaching marimba groups in Heideveld as part of MusicWorks’ Music for Life programme.
Extracts from a Conversation with Marimba boys, transcribed by narrative therapist, Therese Hulme, interspersed with quotes from a letter written by Marcelino.