“A Dream Come True” 89 School Band Students Are Going on Tour!

Thanks to a wonderfully generous donation by Eric Veenstra of the PirateArts Experience resort, the student band from the Colegio Rogelio Josue Ibarra high school will be traveling to the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos from November 7 to 11, 2024, to participate in the Fiestas Patrias parades.

On Monday, October 14, 2024, the school band surprised Eric at home with a fantastic personal concert and presented him with a special framed dedication signed by the students; a beautiful way to show their gratitude. Carenero neighbors heard the kids excitedly playing their instruments on the boat ride there. School director Dora Reina was overwhelmed with joy and shared a statement on behalf of the school to commemorate the occasion:

“The school, and especially the school band, feels very grateful to Mr. Eric Veenstra for all the support he has given. His support is unconditional, and he has always shown his appreciation for music and, therefore, for our band.

Thanks to the great support he has consistently provided, last year five students were awarded scholarships to attend the Panama Jazz Festival, and every year he donates a thousand dollars to be used for the band. This year, he is donating five thousand dollars to help the band participate in the Fiestas Patrias in the provinces of Veraguas and Los Santos. The school feels extremely, extremely grateful for this demonstration of support and appreciation that Mr. Eric has always shown for the band and the school. We will always be thankful because, thanks to him, our students have been able to, and will be able to, travel through the provinces playing music.

There are some students who have never left Bocas del Toro, and for these children, this is a dream come true.”

The band is called Jose ‘Pasito’ Anderson Banda de Musica, and they are worth the hype!  Yes, they play the traditional marching band music that we hear every November for the patriotic day celebrations, but they also dabble in modern Salsa and Merengue numbers, and in recent years have been known to play songs like “Eye of the Tiger,” “The Final Countdown,” and “New York, New York.” Would you ever imagine a high school marching band on a Caribbean island playing Frank Sinatra? Well, believe it! Only in Bocas del Toro!

The kids are talented and the musical directors have been dedicated through the years, passing the torch from one to another, all the while maintaining a consistent passion and dedication to a disciplined practice regiment. It was their talent, passion and discipline that first caught Eric Veenstra’s attention on a random Carenero Island evening back in 2017.

A neighbor had invited Veenstra to a school band recital. He was absolutely amazed by the performance of the young musicians. Veenstra, a musician himself, was very moved by their performance. He vowed right then and there that he would support music education in Bocas as much as he could.

After spending more time in Bocas and opening the LostBoys Blues Bar and the PirateArts Experience resort, he has made more than good on that promise: annual donations that helped purchase new instruments and repair existing equipment. Then earlier this year he sponsored five Panama Jazz Festival scholarships, a collaboration with the Fundación Danilo Pérez. Now the WHOLE BAND is going on a tour to the interior of Panama. Simply amazing.

As Ms. Reina mentioned, for some students, it will be the first time they leave the archipelago. They’re doing it with friends and if they love music, they’ll be doing something they love. What a beautiful gift:  potentially life changing experiences for the young musicians.

Photos and video by Alfredo Jurado of Bocasislove