Alex Woolf
"This programme is the type of opportunity that doesn't come along very often – I applied as soon as I heard about it, and I feel incredibly privileged to be taking part! I'm very excited about what we can learn and what we can offer as part of this programme.”
Muze Trust Summer Programme 2015
This summer saw two young musicians musicians – Rachel Ambrose Evans and Timothy Keasley – spend two weeks in Zambia supporting music leaders and music teachers, as well as running outreach workshops. As part of our ongoing collaboraton with The Butterfly Tree Rachel and Tim spent six days working with music leaders and children in Mukuni village. Morning sessions were devoted to equipping music leaders with a basic form of notation to compose new songs for youth choirs, as well as create a written record of music currently performed. Rachel and Tim then spent a week working with teachers and students at the Ngoma Dolce Music Academy in Lusaka. Sessions were given on pedagogical theory to support the training of the teachers and instrumental workshops were conducted to prepare a short performance to parents at the end of the week. Another part of this trip involved a visit to Misisi village to led a pilot outreach project. To read more about the trip, see Rachel and Tim's blog.
Muze & Estelle Trust Summer Programme 2014
Following a call for applications, the Muze and Estelle Trusts part-funded two students from Oxford (Steven Doran and Anna Lapwood) and two students from Cambridge (Alex Woolf and Max Cockerill) with strong musical backgrounds to visit Lusaka between over August and September.
The students spent their time in Lusaka assisting with music lessons at the Ngoma Dolce Music Academy and running music outreach workshops in schools nearby, including the Mulele Mwana ('Look after the Child') Community School. In the middle of the programme the students were joined by William Ham of the Estelle Trust who coordinated a visit to Kachele village a village a couple of hours drive from Lusaka and founded by the Zambian charity National Agenda for Social Advancement. After an overnight stay in the village, the students, accompanied by William Ham, visited the Natemwa village school. About an hour of vocal warm-ups were conducted during the assembly, split between each student. This was followed by a series of half-hour sessions given to each of the six classes, offering a range of subjects including rhythm, vocal tuition and the use of expression and emotion. The day ended with an exchange of songs being sung, two from the school itself and a moving performance of a William Byrd motet by our students.
During their visit, the students also performed in a concert at the Zambian Farmers' Union both promote the works of the Trusts and the music academy, as well as to raise funds for the academy.
The programme was a great success and our thanks go to all at the Estelle Trust, the Ngoma Dolce Music Academy, and above all to the students to their support, energy and enthusiasm.
Pending further funding, we are hoping to be able to run this programme again in 2015.
If you feel this is a project you would like to support,
To register your interest as a prospective candidate,
please either wait for further details via twitter or Facebook,
Read about the students' experience on our Blog.
Max Cockerill
“This project offers a unique opportunity to support music-making in Zambia. I look forward to being a part of a foundation seeking to nurture an environment in which music is viewed as an intrinsic part of a child’s development.”
