The Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, highlighted in the Parliament the impulse given by the Andalusian Government to the bands and musical groups through a new grant line for the purchase of instruments with a total amount of 300,000 euros. «This initiative is the result of dialogue with all sectors of culture. We have around 500 formations that carry out intense activity, and for the first time, they will feel the support for their work from the Junta,» she explained.
Patricia del Pozo explained that «the grants will be aimed at the acquisition of wind, wood, metal, percussion instruments and any other type used by music bands«. «We are talking – she added – about formations rooted in many Andalusian municipalities, which are an element of cohesion and cultural practice. They nurture and cherish the love for music, promote its teaching, and provide an opportunity to actively participate in musical interpretation,» she said.
The Minister was accompanied during her intervention in the Parliament by the musician Abel Moreno, recent Medal of Andalusia in the category of Social Sciences and Letters, the president of the Andalusian Federation of Music Bands, Félix Ruiz González, the president of the Professional Music Bands Council of Seville, Manuel Esteban, and the directors of the Music Band of the Red Cross of Seville and the Cornets and Drums Band of the Holy Christ of the Three Falls of Triana, José Ignacio Cansino and Julio Vera, respectively.
Regarding this grant line, Del Pozo reported that «the deadline for public consultation ended yesterday with a high participation. We have received almost a hundred communications from 86 citizens and entities. With these contributions from citizens and interested groups, we are now moving forward to promote the order that will approve the regulatory bases, and then we will make the first call during the current year,» she said.
The new incentives, under a non-competitive bidding system, aim to «respond to a demand from music bands in Andalusia, which had never before received attention from the Junta de Andalucía,» stressed the Minister of Culture and Sports. With this boost, the bands will be able to continue improving their performances, as they have been doing for the last four decades, due to the increase in the quality of their musical pieces brought about by the growth of Holy Week and the enhancement of their musical compositions.
Despite their broad social support and artistic recognition, a large part of these formations lack sufficient economic resources to acquire musical equipment. Therefore, the Junta de Andalucía has decided to support these groups through a specific grant line for the purchase of instruments, which will result in a higher quality training for Andalusian musicians integrated into the bands.