Hello everyone! I have had some amazing experiences with music here in Norway that I am excited to highlight for you!
Like I mentioned in my latest logbook, I joined a community brass band in Oslo a few months ago. A brass band is a group of musicians playing instruments made of brass, like trumpets and tubas. They make a warm, golden sound that fills the whole room. I play percussion, which means I get to play drums, cymbals and other instruments that keep the beat. I also get to play mallet instruments, like the vibraphone. A vibraphone is an instrument with long metal bars that you hit with soft mallets, and it makes smooth, ringing notes that sound like shining bells.
The band rehearses every week. People here take it very seriously, but we also have lots of fun. Later this month, we will have a Christmas party! In February, we will travel to Bergen for a brass band competition where I play the vibraphone. Bergen is a city in western Norway surrounded by fjords (remember those?) and mountains.
One of the biggest events this month was our Advent concert. Advent is the time leading up to Christmas. In Norway, there are candles, concerts, lights and songs everywhere. It is a special time here.
