Music is more than background noise for Victoria Park parishioner, Sean Mousley. It is a pathway to inclusion and growth, and life might be pretty boring without it, he told The Record this week.
Mr Mousley, 29, is preparing to perform at the 2013 Yamaha National Band Championships, held in Perth, March 29 – April 1, as part of Canning City Brass – a 30-strong ensemble in which he plays snare, bass drum, and suspended cymbal.
He has been playing music for most of his life, stretching back to his primary school days.
For around the same length of time, he has also been dealing with a learning disability and the management of ongoing mental illness.
The band has given him a place to develop his natural music acumen and artistic sensibilities, as well a place to learn from fellow band members, many of whom are studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
Since joining the band four years ago, he has performed at citizenship ceremonies, fetes, concert series, and building openings in the city.
“If I wasn’t doing music, I wouldn’t be included in much, really. The lack of inclusion is just isolating; making for a mundane life,” Mr Mousley said.
“The band has really settled me in to the Canning community. I got to meet the Mayor occasionally, and perform for MPs.”
Mental health services offered by government, and social or human formation activities offered by churches often ignored adults who were of normal or above average intelligence and who lived independently, Mr Mousley said.
“When you are in your late 20s and 30s, they forget about you. If you have intelligence and a level of ability then you might not qualify [for services and activities]. You have to be on the edges to get help.
“Lots of different people try and do good things but it’s not always getting to the problems of mental health, dysfunction and the need for further educational opportunities.
“Doing music and being involved in the arts, sports and other community activities; it’s quite helpful. It lets you forget about your clinical needs for a while.”
In terms of his current musical exploits, Mr Mousley said people who were yet to see brass band performance first-hand “don’t know what they are missing out on”.
“It’s very relatable because we do marches and hymns that have been performed for centuries,” Mr Mousley said, adding that his band will throw-in contemporary pieces occasionally, to keep things fresh.
“It’s not hugely staid,” he said, laughing. “We don’t serve champagne at the front of the bar.”
His belief that music helps people from even disparate backgrounds relate to one another came about, in part, through his involvement with Focolare, an ecclesial movement with a strong history of ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue.
Previous involvement in the Catholic group Singles for Christ had also been fruitful, Mr Mousley said.
Mr Mousley is far from being the only person with Catholic connections to be performing at the 2013 Yamaha National Band Championships, with bands from several Catholic colleges also scheduled to perform.
Mr Mousley’s band, Canning City Brass will perform Friday-Sunday, March 29-31.
For more information on the championships (March 29 – April 1), see the 2013 Yamaha National Band Championships website – www.nationalbands2013.com.
r.hiini@therecord.com.au