About the Jostiband

Every Wednesday evening is the big, cheerful rehearsal of the Jostiband. Over 120 musicians play together in Zwammerdam. Fun is paramount. Everyone does what he or she is good at.

Performances: from Rieu to Maan

The Jostiband shows that more is always possible. A good example: the big concert in the Ziggo Dome in 2016. The idea for it came from the members of the orchestra. Thanks to a lot of hard work, that dream came true.

We perform about 12 times a year. Between 35 and 70 members of the orchestra participate. Sometimes we go with one bus, sometimes with two. We also like to play with other artists. With André Rieu, Maan, Guus Meeuwis or Gerard Joling, for example.

Colour Music

The Jostiband uses its own notation system: Colour Music. You don’t just play with normal notes, but also with colours. That is easier. Our music books are also popular for music lessons for children and the visually impaired, for example. You can read more about it here.

The Jostiband consists of over 120 members of the orchestra. They play all instruments, from macaracas to keyboard. Members of the orchestra do as much as possible themselves, such as for example building up and cleaning up. Or selling articles during the break of a concert.

Some of the members of the orchestra live at Ipse de Bruggen care organisation. We even have eight members of the orchestra who live together in one house. Others live somewhere else, with their parents or independently with assistance.

What we all share? A love of music!

The Jostiband has a very enthusiastic team. From assistants to technicians and drivers. Often they have a busy job besides the Jostiband, but they like to do this on the side: “The Jostiband does not feel like work”. There is a permanent team of assistants to the orchestra and a pianist. The Jostiband also has members of the orchestra with serious multiple disabilities. They sometimes need extra aasistance when we go on tour.

Orchestra leader Lyan Verburg

The orchestra leader, Lyan Verburg, arranges everything. She leads the rehearsals, but also does the PR and everything in the office. Lyan also stands on stage at concerts to conduct the orchestra. She presents the concerts together with the members of the orchestra: “My role is to ensure that what the Jostiband does is highlighted even more.”

Follow Lyan during a working day in the video Dumpert films your workplace: conductor of the Jostiband.

Today, the Jostiband is part of the organisation Ipse de Bruggen. But it all began at the Johannes Foundation in Nieuwveen. That is why it is called the Jostiband.

The founders were Wim Brussen and Frits van der Scheer. They started with an orchestra of thirty people and discovered the power of music. In 1968, Ben Rietveld joined the band. Ben had experience of percussion. Together they devised the special colour notation for the Jostiband. Wim Brussen remained orchestra leader for 40 years, and during that period the Jostiband grew into one of the most special Dutch orchestras, well-known at home and abroad.

Lyan Verburg has been involved with the Jostiband since 1979. From 1994 until 2006, she and Wim were orchestra leaders. Since 2007, after Wim’s retirement, the orchestra is led by Lyan.

A disability: then and now

People used to look differently at people with a disability. As if they were sick people. You did not live in small groups in houses. There was, for example, a big building in the forest. There, many people with disabilities lived together. You received food, drink, and care.

In the 1960s, this slowly changed. The carers learned new things. People with disabilities have dreams as well. And everybody deserves chances to make them come true. You have to be able to develop yourself. Music is part of that. And that is why the Jostiband was founded at that time.

The Jostiband has done some very big performances. Almost everyone has seen the orchestra on TV. Below are a few highlights. We are also very proud of the fact that we have developed ‘Colour Music’. This means that many more people can learn to make music.

• 1966 Foundation
• 1977 Music from the heart
• 1980 and 1983 Christmas party with the Jostiband
• 1986 Twenty years of music from the heart
• 1989 Music without frontiers
• 1991 The Secret of the Jostiband
• 1996 Star Gala 30 Years and the Jostiband surprises Sinterklaas
• 1999 Jostiband in Concert
• 2000 Christmas in Canada with the Jostiband
• 2001 Herberg de Leeuw
• 2002 Jostiband in Ahoy
• 2003 The Best of the Jostiband
• 2004 The people of the Jostiband and Orange Cconcert with Queen Beatrix
• 2006 TV Toppers with the Jostiband
• 2008 The Josti’s pull out all the stops
• 2011 Christmas with the Jostiband
• 2013 Participation in the Koningsvaart
• 2016 Jubilee concert at the Ziggo Dome
• 2018 Music Show Scotland at Arnhem Gelredome
• 2019 Performance with the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (incl. The Bolero)
• 2020 Underwater concert Todi Beringen, Belgium
• 2021 Presentation of Jostiband for everyone platform
• 2022 Jostimarathon for Ukraïne

Abroad

The Jostiband played in France, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Canada and Ukraine, among other countries. The Jostiband is internationally one of the best-known orchestras of people with disabilities.