Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Samson Gikunda, right a trumpet player with Kenya's Administration Police Band, joins...... read more read more
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NOBLEVILLE, Ind. - “Music is the universal language of mankind.” -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
For two Kenyan police musicians, who visited Indiana for two weeks in October, language didn't matter when they met a fellow countryman, Spc. Alan Mbathi, who plays and serves in the Indiana National Guard's 38th Infantry Division Band.
Mbathi, 32, originally hails from Kenya and came to the United States approximately five years ago.
"It's awesome having them here," said Mbathi of his fellow Kenyan musicians. "I can't wait to hang out and exchange stories and hear about everything that's going on."
While it was important for Mbathi to reconnect with his roots, it was just as important for Charles Njoka and Samson Gikunda, who play with Kenya's Administration Police Band.
They said it was a great privilege to visit the Hoosier state. While in Indiana, Njoka and Gikunda visited not only the 38th Band, but also elementary, middle school and high school bands of central Indiana.
Mbathi, who’s been playing bass guitar since he was 17, admired the skills and professionalism of the Kenyan musicians.
“One thing that Kenyan military police forces are renowned for in Africa is their discipline. The way their performances are done, it’s very, very well orchestrated,” said Mbathi.
Mbathi joined the Indiana National Guard and the 38th ID Band two years ago. After basic and advanced training, he’s been playing with the band for about a year. Mbathi said he likes the 38th’s busy schedule because it allows him to hone his bass playing and music reading skills.
Mbathi appreciates his African heritage and the structured nature of playing with the 38th band. The two bring unique influences to his musical development.
“I’m living in two worlds, coming from an African setting and coming from this setting,” said Mbathi. In Africa he learned by memorization and in the states he learned by reading music.
“Even in concert band, if you come see me playing, you’ll see me kind of trying to get my bearings,” Mbathi said. “Coming from Africa, learning music the way I did, it was definitely memorizing. You hear something; you pick it up and go with it. Coming here it’s all laid out on a sheet, each and every nuance and note.”
Mbathi, from Noblesville, Ind., is studying communications with a minor in music at Anderson University. While he continues his studies, on the military side he will be melding his musical backgrounds for the universal language of mankind.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2012 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 95300 |
| Location: | NOBLESVILLE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kenya hear the music, by MSG Jeff Lowry, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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