cast members, providing transportation and planning activities.

Like all young members of the travelling band he's discovered there's more to the organisation than simply performing on stage.

Jason joined Up With People in July, 1993, as a member of one of the five touring groups.

Three of these groups begin rehearsals in July, with the other two starting in January. Five weeks are allotted at the beginning of each "semester'' to allow students to get to know the programme and help them brush up on their skills in singing and dancing.

Jason teamed up with the group after graduating from college in his native British Columbia, and with his background in singing was able to quickly adjust to the spotlight.

Since being accepted by the company, he has toured in Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. His international itinerary included a tour of Mexico of nearly three months, which covered over 27 cities. January and February this year saw him touring Finland and Sweden.

The schedule allots each cast member two free days each month, and for every two-hour show in which they perform, they spend about four hours in community service.

This might involve visiting elderly homes, special schools or regular high schools. The schedule is varied, for, as Jason puts it: "We could be planting trees one day, and then meeting consulate officials the next.'' There are roughly 140 members in each cast, but the group visiting Bermuda next month will number about 50, representing some 13 different countries.

Spending months at a time together, sometimes in confined spaces, has with other types of touring groups created tension among cast members. But Jason insists that no such problem occurs with the Up With People performers.

"In the nature of the person chosen for Up With People is the inclination to be more easy going and to be able to resolve conflicts creatively,'' he says.

"It's all about flexibility. Flexibility is our catch phrase, actually.'' One of Jason's most memorable situations occurred in Mexico. "We were visiting a home for retarded people,'' he recalls. "They were profoundly retarded, and had to be taken around in wheelchairs. We tried to do the best we could with what we had.

"The one person that I hooked up with had a lot of involuntary movements and would call out sometimes, without saying anything intelligible.

"I took him out for a walk and decided to reach him by singing. The most incredible thing happened. His involuntary movements went down, he became completely calm, and I even saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. I was so touched. That's the power of music.'' Bermudians will be able to experience that power when Up With People returns to the Island on April 16 for almost three weeks.

The highlight of their stay will be a free concert at Dockyard on Sunday, May 1.

In the meantime, the company is appealing for families to host members of the tour. Anyone who can provide accommodation is asked to contact Jason or Susan Shultz at 296-0704.

POWER OF MUSIC -- As part of the advance team for Up With People, Jason Jackson is in Bermuda to arrange host families for the company's cast.