By THA SC

Banpong, Thailand, 10 October 2023 -- From 4-7 October 2023/2566 the marching band students underwent a training camp to prepare for the Salesian Thailand Sports Festival which will be held on January 2024. The 220 students, members of the "Salesian Band", come from 5 Salesian schools, namely, Sarasit Phithayalai School, Saeng Thong School, St. Dominic School, Don Bosco Vitthaya School, and Huahin Vitthayalai School. Fr. Chinawat Suvadinkul, SDB, the school director of Sarasit Phithayalai School, gave a warm welcome to the "Salesian Band".

The band members from the participating schools were divided into small groups according to their musical instruments, namely, 'woodwind instruments' like piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and flute; 'brass instruments' like trumpet, trombone, tuba; and 'percussion instruments' like snare drum, bass drum, cymbals. Each group had a teacher responsible for practicing the students according to the type of instrument before they came together to play.

Bringing together these young people from different institutions is not easy. It is not just about teaching music alone. While the students are living together, they also learn additional traits, like, personal adjustment by working with others as a team, and, the coolest thing is that the repeated practice, doing the same thing over and over, they can finally create music - the first sound came up.

Therefore, the Salesian Band's camp was an opportunity for the students to share their talents in music. This also gave the chance for them to get to know each other and work together to create musical performances together. Playing music helped to refine the hearts of these young people to be gentle and tolerant. Thank you to the directors of every Salesian school in Thailand who saw the value of music. Thank you to the teachers who trained tirelessly the students until they could play music in a pleasing and harmonious way.

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