Alpha Cottage School (often referred to as Alpha Boys School, Convent of Mercy "Alpha" Academy and now called Alpha Institute) was the name of the vocational residential school on South Camp Road in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

, still run by

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

nuns. Established in 1880 as a "school for wayward boys", it became renowned for both the discipline it instilled in its pupils and the outstanding musical tuition they received.Barrow, Steve and Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", Rough Guides, 1997, In 2014 Alpha's residence closed and the school continued as Alpha Institute to focus on educational and vocational training for inner city unattached youth.

School band

The school band was formed in 1892. It was originally a drum and

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corps, and later a brass band, following the gift of brass instruments from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Jamaica.History of Alpha Boys' School
The school has been credited with influencing the development of ska and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

.Nun who nurtured reggae
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The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 12/01/2006 Its music instructors have included Lennie Hibbert, Ruben Delgado and Sparrow Martin. Sister Mary Ignatius Davies, an alumnus of the Alpha Academy next door, is recognized as a factor in the strength of Alpha's program and that of Jamaican music more broadly. Sister Ignatius did not teach music or know how to play an instrument. Sister Ignatius owned a sound system called Mutt And Jeff Sound. The Alpha Alumni Ensemble is composed of former students of the school who are now professional musicians.

Alpha self help programs

The school has a long history with trying to be self-sufficient. Older trades such as tile making, tailoring and farming had a direct impact on sustaining the school, were part of the vocational culture of the school and opportunities to work. Self-help now includes wood working, screen printing, digital print services and music performance. In April 2013, Alpha Boys School launched a new clothing project to support the school with two tee shirt designs by Michael Thompson (aka Freestylee: Artist Without Borders) and equipment provided by Digicel Jamaica. Alpha's tee shirts include designs for the Jamaica Sound System Federation & Active fashion India.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni, all musicians, include: * Theophilus Beckford * "Deadly" Headley Bennett * Cedric Brooks *

Winston Francis Winston Francis (born 1943) aka Mr Fix It is a Jamaican singer whose career began in the 1960s. Biography Born in Kingston in 1943, Francis served an apprentice as a printer before relocating to Miami at the age of 16.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The ...

* Johnny Osbourne * Vin Gordon *Eskimo Fox, original drummer of Creation Rebel, African Headcharge and Singers and Players and one of the founders of On-U Sound Records. * Owen Gray *

Joe Harriott Joseph Arthurlin Harriott (15 July 1928 – 2 January 1973) was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone. Initially a bebopper, he became a pioneer of free-form jazz. Born in Kingston, Harriott ...

Wilton Gaynair Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair (11 January 1927 – 13 February 1995) was a Jamaican-born jazz musician, whose primary instrument was the tenor saxophone. "Blue Bogey", "Kingston Bypass" "Debra", and "Wilton Mood" are among his better known songs. Life ...

* Leslie Thompson * Bobby Ellis * David Madden * Harold McNairJamaica Observer - Jazz: What's Jamaica Got To Do With It?
*

Dizzy Reece Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born hard bop jazz trumpeter. Reece is among a group of jazz musicians born in Jamaica which includes Bertie King, Joe Harriott, Roland Alphonso, Wilton Gaynair, Sonny Bradshaw, s ...

* Keith Sterling * Rico Rodriguez * Richard Hall (musician) * Four founding members of the Skatalites ( Tommy McCook, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Lester Sterling and Don Drummond) * Leroy Smart * Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton * Yellowman * Trinity (musician) * Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace * Floyd Lloyd * Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig;

Alpha Boys School Radio

Alpha Boys' School Radio is a 24/7 online radio station (www.alphaboysschoolradio.com) and celebration of the legacy established by the Kingston, Jamaica-based school responsible for the education and musical development of Jamaica's premiere jazz, ska, reggae and dancehall pioneers. Featuring music performed by Alpha's alumni, including jazz stalwarts of the 1950s and 1960s like Joe Harriott and Dizzy Reece, ska pioneers the Skatalites, Cedric 'Im' Brooks and Rico Rodriguez; rocksteady innovator Vin Gordon; reggae icons Leroy Smart and Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace; and the original King of the Dancehall, Winston 'Yellowman' Foster; Alpha Boys' School Radio is a 24/7 connection to the beat of Jamaican music. Every February, Alpha Boys School Radio hosts the Reggae Auction to benefit social services for Alpha students.

Book

In November, 2017, authors Heather Augustyn and Adam Reeves published their comprehensive book, Alpha Boys' School: Cradle of Jamaican Music, from Half Pint Press. The book chronicles over 40 musicians who attended Alpha Boys' School and contains exclusive interviews and photographs from many of the musicians.

References