MUSIC lover and founder of Harmony Community Band, Cameron Lejander from Humansdorp, uses the sound of brass band music and dedication of his band members to teach young people to be more self-disciplined.
As a young boy, Lejander’s family who were great musicians and singers, huddled together to sing and create music at every gathering.
In 2009, Lejander’s love of music and his musical influence inspired him to join the Boys Brigade of South Africa under the leadership of Mervin Smith.
“The Boys Brigade was the perfect platform for me to use the little musical knowledge that I had learnt as a young boy,” he says.
Lejander, who specialises in the trombone, also plays the trumpet, baritone, tuba, sousaphone, snare drum and bass drum.
To further develop his talent, he joined the Moravian Church Band in Arcadia under leaders Theo Novem and Timothy Jantjies in 2013.
In 2015, once Lejander had gained enough experience, he established the Harmony Community Band, a brass band dedicated to inspiring youngsters in the community.
The band, which has approximately 30 members aged between seven and 23, serves the community by performing at road marches, funerals, rallies, and birthday parties.
In addition, they have represented their town at the annual Kaapse Klopse.
With his platform as a leader of the band, he wants to make an impact in his community by helping young people discover their hidden talents and inner leadership skills. This he does with music, which requires intense effort, and will therefore provide them with the self-discipline they need.
“Many young people do not know that they have leadership skills. For the progress of the community I want to help teenagers see themselves as the leaders of tomorrow, which will make them more responsible in everything they do,” says Lejander.
“Music is a very organised discipline. There is absolutely no way you can produce music without being able to control yourself by spending time and paying attention to various scales of music and learning about how each musical piece is put together.”
He says if self-discipline can be applied in the band, it can become a chain reaction in the community.
Lejander, together with his committed band members, have already begun teaching young people to read and play music, which he hopes will open doors for them when they are older.
“Young kids come from areas as far as the musical sound goes just to see other young ones play these instruments – and so the love for the band grows,” says Lejander.
“While watching our performances, we hope that more kids will be inspired to join our band and develop their talents.”
