By Jimmy Berger. Going to the Buskaid workshop was by far the most fun experience yet! It reminded me of how every rehearsal we’ve been working on moving and being energetic, which Buskaid did amazing well; their exuberance was inspiring to everybody. It was clear that they loved playing with each other and loved the music they were making. I think watching them was a useful lesson for us because if we stopped trying to move artifically and allowed ourselves to get immersed in the music, we would move naturally just like Buskaid. It would obviously take a long time to reach their level but if we could act as if we loved the music we were playing, our performance would greatly improve.
Aside from that realization, it was a great experience to exchange repertoire. The way that they picked up music by ear was very impressive; they even had Orange Blossom Special almost at speed in 15 minutes. I spent most of my time either teaching or learning from a double-bass player and then playing sheet music to some of the younger kids. It was an experience I’ll never forget!
