Czech Band Showcases Musical Talent of the Disabled

For the last 100 years, Prague's Jedlicka Institute has been educating young people with disabilities. Music is a big part of the equation.  

Published

4 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Handicaps/Disabilities, Europe

Places

Czech Republic, Prague

Transcript

SCRIPT: This school in the Czech capital Prague is making beautiful music with a twist. Once a week, special needs students can develop their musical talent. Some are regulars, but others are holding a musical instrument for the first time in their lives. SOT 1: Marek Holecek, percussion student at Pragues Jedlicka Institute in Prague (11 sec, in Czech): "It is not so hard physically, but you have to have sense of rhythm, good tempo, and for me, this is more complicated." There are about ten students per class. Petra has been teaching music here for almost a decade. Her lessons are one of the few recreational activities tailor-made for disabled students. SOT 2: Petra Safranek, professor of music teacher at the Prague's Jedlicka Institute (15 sec in English): "With music, we do everything what we would do if we have no barriers. It doesn't make sense if we are on a wheelchair or not. We are not better musicians and we are not worse musicians." The most gifted players have even formed an orchestra, dubbed the Tap Tap Band (sound of music) It's received a very warm reception, and not just in the Czech Republic. Jan, an autistic 15-year-old is the newest member of the band and he's very proud to be a part of it. SOT 3: Jan Machacek, Tap Tap band drummer (11 sec, in Czech): "My mother is very proud that I became part of this group. And my school friends came out to see us in concert. They said we were the best!" Tap Tap has already wooed audiences from Moscow to London and Madrid. Wherever they go, this extraordinary ensemble seems to hit all the right notes. SOT 4: Ornest Simon, Tap Tap Band conductor (10 sec, in Czech): "We've dont a great job job showing able bodied people that disabled people can also give them something, and not just keep on asking them for help." Simon hopes Tap Tap will soon go a step further. He'd like to hand over his baton to a disabled person, in the not so distant future. SHOTLIST: Duration : 2'09 + extra rushes PRAGUE, Czech Republic, 9-24 January 2013 Source: AFPTV - Music lessons at the Jedlicka Institute in Prague, various shots (5 shots) SOT 1 - Petra, the music teacher with students (3 shots) - A student plays the xylophone (1 shot) SOT 2 - Tap Tap Band rehearses in a professional studio, partly funded by the European Union (7 shots) - Jan Machacek, autistic 15-year-old, the latest to join the band (2 shots) SOT 3 - Tap Tap Band in concert at a campaign rally for presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg, various shots (5 shots) SOT 4 - Tap Tap Band in concert at a campaign rally for presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg, various shots (4 shots)