'Five Star Brass' Performs for Students in Dakar

DAKAR, Senegal (NNS) -- U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band's 'Five Star Brass' quintet showcased their talent to students at the International School of Dakar (ISD) April 9 with a performance in the school's courtyard.

The band is visiting the area as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West, embarked aboard Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44).

The five band members played a variety of tunes, and even threw in a few pop and rock songs.

"I think our performance went really well," said Musician 2nd Class Doug Hoskisson, a member of 'Five Star.' "The kids really enjoyed the Michael Jackson tunes we played and even a few teachers and some of the high schoolers got into it."

Having the band perform during the students' lunch break was a real treat for Fredrik Elisson, a senior at the school from Sweden.

"This is great," Elisson said. "I've never heard 'brass' played like this before."

ISD originally opened in 1983 and was completely redone in 1988. The school sits on four acres overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and had roughly 370 students at the time of enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year. ISD follows the curriculum of most American schools and teaches grades K-12.

"This is a great way to put a different face on the U.S. military," said ISD Director Wayne Rutherford. "It's a great outreach program for the students."

"This is a great opportunity for exposure," said Principal Mike Emborsky. "These students are exposed to lots of African music but not that of a U.S. military band."

APS West is designed to enhance professional development and provide a valuable motivational and instructional experience to increase the awareness of maritime safety and security.

Gunston Hall is on a scheduled deployment in the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility in support of APS West, an international initiative developed by Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Africa that aims to improve maritime safety and security in West and Central Africa.

Follow Gunston Hall and APS at their respective Facebook pages, www.facebook.com/GunstonHall and www.facebook.com/AfricaPartnershipStation.

For more news from USS Gunston Hall, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/lsd44/.