Drum school students ventured to the National Centre School for the Arts in Cuba and returned with renewed excitement about music.

Eddie Ming's Drum School took ten students between the ages of eight and 60 to Havana, to take part in a five-day music programme in August.

The students were presented with certificates this week by Premier Ewart Brown, who commended them for their achievement: "Let me say to you that 30 years from now when you look at your certificate and you see each other you will be talking about the time you spent in Havana.

"You have no idea how important it is that you have done this, because you have opened up doors that other Bermudians will follow in."

Continued Dr. Brown. "Ten years ago it would have been unheard of for a group of young Bermudians to be going to Cuba on a serious mission about music, so I want to congratulate and commend Mr. Ming on his insight and his vision in order to make it possible for you to go."

Chieneka Raynor, Cameron Jeffers, Kirk Wilks, Jevonie Dowling, Tarique Brown, Grace Edwards, Bryson Doers, Tajai O'Connor, Stephanie Howes and Nick Swan all travelled to Cuba. They returned to Bermuda with a more serious attitude about their craft. Said Mr. Ming: "They seem to be more eager and more excited about coming to the workshops and the rhythm lab in St. George's, so it makes my job easier in the end. That's my payback for exposing them to a new culture.

"Even if it only inspires them for one day it makes my job easier. It's an investment to make the student and teacher relationship stronger."

While in Cuba, the students met underprivileged children who used music as a way to escape their reality. The children were extremely disciplined and dedicated to their craft and some, even as young as 10, were already playing at the professional level.

Mr. Ming said: "That's the difference, that's one of the main reasons I took them there."

According to Mr. Ming, it wasn't enough to tell them about Cuba, the students had to go there themselves to see and feel the culture. Bryson, a 16-year-old CedarBridge Academy student agreed.

"It was a good experience. When I first got there I had no idea what the experience was going to be like, but I ended up falling in love with it.

"The children there are so good. They are much better than us. So I really want to go there again to learn the music."

Mr. Ming, who also teaches in several Cuban cultural schools, is hopeful the experience broadened their horizons.

He said: "I hope the kids from Bermuda really appreciated it and in the future they would learn that the only way to get on top of the instrument they are studying, or the instrument they like, is to study, to invest some serious time on it (and) to practise."