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First Global's - Build Jamaica With Music

Music is seen as having the potential to move Jamaica forward. The question is, what is the best way to build Jamaica with music?

In an effort to encourage music literacy among Jamaica’s young people and to improve the standard of popular music in our schools, First Global Financial Services (FGFS) has undertaken to sponsor the ‘Build with Music’ Initiative.

This initiative supports music as a medium for artistic expression which has the potential to provide gainful employment for young people as well as foreign exchange for nation building. The project has four aspects: sponsorship of a School Band competition; sponsorship of the Alpha Boys School; a series of Sunday concerts at Emancipation Park and sponsorship of the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival.

At the recent launch in Kingston, many well known musicians including Rupert Bent Snr, Micky Hanson, Dean Fraser, Desmond Young, Peter Couch, Marjorie Whylie, Jon Williams and Dwight Richards made their presence felt. Also present were the boys of the Alpha Boys Band looking sharp in their gold polo t-shirts as they performed ‘Island in the Sun’ and other folk songs.

Adding her company’s voice to the call for positive reaffirmation of our culture, FGFS President Sandra Shirley said that the company is committed to helping to put things right in Jamaica through the most promising avenue – music. “Let us think about the things that are right about our country. One thing that is so right is the spirits of our people.

My company felt that if Jamaican people can just reconnect with aspects of this country that have made people the world over sit up and recognise Jamaica, we could move our country forward.” She encouraged all present to take stock of the music in the way we walk and talk, adding that there is music in our souls and emphasized that music is one of the ways in which we can we must bring back gentleness to our society.

First Global she added, is a Jamaican entity and therefore the wellbeing of the country is important. She then presented the Alpha Boys Band with a brand new trombone to add to their collection of instruments while Director of Alpha Boys School Richard Foran in turn surprised the FGFS with their own gifts of compact disc of the boys’ music as well as a plaque and pen produced in their own wood work shop.

Musical Director for the Jamaica Ocho Rios Jazz Festival and veteran musician Sonny Bradshaw also threw his support behind the venture, saying it is full time the radios stations lift the quality of the music they play. “The standard of music today is nowhere near where it should be. One good thing though is that we have gone back to the rhythm and mento and today we use it and call it dancehall.

He added that he is happy that First Global is on board, expressing that he has been trying for years to get the government to use music to keep this country together as he believes that it is only when music plays that everyone can mix and unite.

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