In a combination concert and fund-raiser the V.I. Housing Authority Youth Steel Orchestra gave a midday concert in front of Emancipation Garden Post Office Saturday.
This was the first concert for some of the band members who joined up over the summer and at the beginning of the school year. The band played a wide variety of tunes from carnival favorites to classical and pop radio hits. The concert was a magnet for tourist cameras on Saturday, and almost every passing islander gave words or waves of encouragement.
According to Laverne Issacc, the band coordinator, membership is limited to young people ages 10 to 18, who are residents of public housing. The band is based at the Oswald Harris Court Community Center.
When band members were asked why they joined the group, the primary response was, "For the fun of it!"; although young Avinel Woodstock said he was drafted for his playing skills, an opinion disputed by several of his nearby peers.
Issacc said, "We are offering tutorials to help the kids with school work from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., then band practice runs from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m."
At practice time Nyere Francis and Donald Herbert divide instruction and musical director duties.
The band, whose motto is ‘Celebrating All that's Good in Public Housing', is part of V.I. Housing Authority's anti-drug initiative. Although primarily sponsored by the Housing Authority, Issacc also credited the V.I. Community Foundation and Chase Manhattan Bank with contributing much needed funds.
The next concert by the V.I.H.A. Youth Steel Orchestra is at Havensite Mall on October 30, followed by a concert at Tutu Park Mall on November 26, the day after Thanksgiving.
