the song of hope of the children of the Velàschmid Buskers Orchestra
“Because it is not anger that will save us”, sing the children of the Velàschmid Buskers Orchestra . And again “in my dream… it doesn’t exist, I didn’t do it and it’s none of my business”. These are some verses of Bánÿaá but self (My name is)a song about life, resilience, hope and human connection. Bánÿaá but self it was born from children’s questions, from their sense of humanity and from their surprising depth that can also inspire adults. Bánÿaá but self it has the voice of those who want to improve the world one meeting at a time, one face at a time, one name at a time.
The piece was written by the teachers with the help of the orchestra’s students, who rehearsed and modified it together with the teachers for a few months, until its final version was recorded in the classrooms of the “A. Schmid”. The recording involved the entire school community of the orchestra: the teachers (backing track), the children (choir and soloists) and the parents of the pupils involved (final choir). You can listen to the final result in a video clip, which summarizes the experience of the Velàschmid Buskers Orchestra in just a few minutes ( ).
The Velàschmid Buskers Orchestra, born in the 2023/24 school year, is made up of the 3rd and 5th classes of the “S. Vigilio” of Vela and 3B, 3M, 4M and 5M of the primary school “A. Schmid” by Cristo Re. This is a street music orchestra (buskers, precisely), which performed in the streets of the historic center of Trento on four dates in the months of December 2023, filling the streets with music sung and played with percussion, wind instruments, keyboards and string instruments. The large public that gathered around the orchestra at each of its concerts demonstrated a great appreciation for the music of the ensemble of young buskers, so much so that “hat tip” donations of 700 euros were collected.
The members of the orchestra have decided to donate these donations to the Centro Astalli Trento, which in the winter period manages a dormitory for young homeless refugees in the gym of the former Bellesini schools, where some of the pupils involved attended the first years of their school career .
Therefore, in February 2024, the students of the Velàschmid Buskers Orchestra met Giuseppe and Mouniru, two representatives of the Centro Astalli Trento. The meeting gave the children the opportunity to learn about Mouniru’s story and to understand more deeply the difficulties linked to the topic of emigration. That meeting brought out stories, thoughts and reflections so profound that a song with the title was born Banya Ma Self.
