The Escola de Música i Dansa de Formentera is wrapping up preparations to create the island's first municipal music group. The founding of the group tops the list of changes at the music school and conservatory for the 2015-2016 calendar, and—as the school's director Iván Mérgola explained—would entail “the Formentera Council's acquisition of a supply of instruments like saxophones, trombones, trumpets, whirlwinds and tubas and then providing them on loan to whomever wishes to join the municipal band”.
In addition to receiving a learning plan specific to the particular instrument chosen, students (who, as school director Iván Mérgola clarifies, “need no previous musical experience”) will also receive an hour of music theory instruction per week.
The initial stage of enrolment ('preinscripció') is already open and all applications will be accepted through 4 July. Applications will be collected and processed at the Citizens' Information Office (OAC) in Sant Francesc. The application form is available for download on the Escola de Música website (escolamusica.conselldeformentera.cat).
Workshops for kids and state-recognised studies for all
Pre-enrolment—a mandatory part of the sign-up process—concerns registration for young children into any of the workshops included in the School of Music and Dance catalogue, composed of three highly-successful activities. The traditional music workshop, given by Xumeu Joan, is the opportunity for learners of all ages to try their hands at drums, castañuelas, flute or the espasí. Also available are the initiation to music workshop for children aged six to eight and an initiation to dance, for ages three to seven.
Besides attending workshops, students of the music school can pursue state-recognised studies at any age. There are currently 140 people enrolled at the Escola de Música i Dansa.
Year-end festival
Next Saturday at eight in the evening, the music and dance school will host its end of the year festivities. The event is an opportunity for students of the Escola to share with the public their progress made since September.
The Formentera Jazz Festival—an event sure to fill the plazas of Sant Francesc with music fans and other obliging onlookers the evenings of 5 and 6 June, before blowing the island's collective socks off with a June 7th jam session at the Migjorn beach Blue Bar—also has first-class programming on deck for the morning crowds in town on Friday and Saturday.
The office of social welfare of the Formentera Council has announced it will begin accepting applications from local associations and private non-profit groups wishing to receive assistance for health and social services programming in 2015. The subsidies have an allocated budget of €30,000.
With an end toward distributing €13,000 in available funding, the Formentera Council's office of social welfare has put out a call for subsidy applications from cultural centres, immigrant groups and other non-profits on the island.
Earlier today, the Formentera Council's office of infrastructure reported on the recent removal of 25 telephone poles along camí de Can Marianet, a road which starts at the camí Vell de la Mola and cuts south, passing alongside la torre des Pi des Català before ending its run at Migjorn beach.