Scotch College

2005 - the best year we'll ever have

How a world vision might find a voice

I was lucky enough to be part of the first rehearsal for the Scotch Chamber Choir with Dr Anton Armstrong last Saturday. He is the most recent Fellow of the Scotch College Foundation, and is a world-renowned choral composer, teacher and conductor. While all boys found the three-hour session an enormously enlightening experience musically, a significant moment came late in the afternoon during the learning and singing of an African-American spiritual piece, ‘A City Called Heaven’. Dr Armstrong had stressed earlier that musical experiences inherently stemmed from life experiences – and he intended to prove it.

In a confronting, graphic explanation, he took the time to describe African-American oppression, which in the context of the piece was a despairing account of slavery. His instructions were to sing with that very same long-suffering despair – the only way to give the piece dignity without a cheap sense of imitation. But how could we, a room full of Scotch boys starting to feel severely inadequate to the task, even attempt to give our rendition this kind of feeling? Dr Armstrong went on to speak of universal suffering, about how each in his or her own life could relate a personal grievance to give sincerity to a performance. This struck me as a kind of ‘method acting’ approach, and the moment we began singing again, every boy in the room understood the power behind it.

Now, with the fundraising challenge of Kapumfi there for the College, the question will again be asked – how can Scotch even begin to relate to a community like that? Many will be afraid that we are too geographically and conceptually distant from the project for our understanding, and therefore our compassion, to reach the extent required.

But human suffering is a universal condition, as Dr Armstrong will tell you, and the will to learn and help burns in all of us. In feeling emotionally under-equipped to tackle an issue like Kapumfi, we are simply admitting defeat. Our own grievances, our own experiences, whether we consider them significant to Kapumfi or not, will add a sincerity to Scotch’s commitment. It may not seem important whether donations are made for the right reasons, the end result of charity seems to relieve us of considering them. But if Scotch is to grow as a community alongside Kapumfi, it is crucial.

The initial donations so far, as well as attitudes and mindsets which are emerging with them, have inspired the students and staff behind the Kapumfi project to look at other avenues of charity, to start considering just how universal Scotch’s World Vision can be.

Chris Anderson

School Captain