Back to School in Kenya
While most schools in the United States are in the middle of their academic years, a new school year has just begun in Kenya. Located in Nairobi's Kibera neighborhood, one of the largest informal settlements in the world, four Crossing Thresholds schools are once again hosting S'Cool Sounds music programs, reaching over 250 students:
FAFU (80 students)
MOBJAP (70 students)
Centre Of Hope (65 students)
COPA Centre (45 students)
A team of seven teachers are leading classes in a variety of instruments, including recorder, keyboard, drumset, guitar, saxophone, assorted African instruments, and voice. This year, students will also have chance to:
participate in music production in a studio;
create a performance video for the Boston Early Music Festival;
compete at the Kenya National Music Festival; and
perform at the Village Market shopping center in Nairobi.
In addition to these exciting opportunities for students, teachers will also have the chance to participate in professional development. Applying his university studies in music, S'Cool Sounds Kenya Assistant Music Director Julius Odhiambo is leading weekly sessions on advancing music literacy skills every Saturday. Along with the S'Cool Sounds music team, two classroom teachers from the Centre of Hope School and two alumni of the MOBJAP school are joining in, too.
Our newly formed Kenya Advisory Board is also adding to the students' experiences. Advisory Board member Karimi Wandiri recently visited high school students in the Futures Music Program with her guitar. Wandiri, the co-founder of the African Women's Orchestra, is also a lawyer specializing in intellectual property.
In anticipation of this school year, Kenya Music Director Jacob Saya remarked: "The students can't wait to pick up from where we left last year. Leveraging on our strengths, it can only get better and better as we continue creating community through music. For us, it's always a moment for music."
Donations from our supporters help create high-impact opportunities like those in the Crossing Thresholds schools. Make a contribution today to bring music to even more students in Kenya, NYC, and beyond!
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Check out the incredible talent and collaborative spirit of our Kenyan music students in a videotaped performance prepared for the Boston Early Music Festival 2023! In this video, students from four schools in Kenya beautifully intertwine the beloved Kenyan tune Malaika with a 13th-century Spanish Cantiga de Santa Maria.
