It is not everyone who gets to live their dream: some from impoverished backgrounds end up doing whatever is within reach to survive. But the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir school wants to change this for some musically talented children whose parents cannot afford the fees.
The choir came back on Tuesday from England where they were touring to raise funds for the school’s scholarship programme. The fees are R220,000 a year.
Executive headmaster Hendrik Bekker, speaking to TimesLIVE at OR Tambo airport, said the school embarked on the fundraiser so more musically talented children could live their dreams.
“There are so many talented children from underprivileged backgrounds. We see them at auditions where they often qualify — but when they hear the fees are R220,000, they withdraw. It would be lovely to have a bigger scholarship fund so that we can give more children an opportunity to explore their skills,” Bekker said.
The school has three boys on full scholarship and nine on partial scholarship. Bekker said they were aiming for about 25 in the next academic year.
“If I look at the boys who are on the bursary programme, I can see they live for the music and performing. It makes them so happy, takes them out of their circumstances, and gives them hope for a better life.”
TimesLIVE has over the years reported on parents who resorted to public crowd funding platforms to ask for donations to keep their children at the school.