Supporting 20 talented students to study music

It’s the holiday season, and a lot has been happening at Kampala Music School in the lead up to the end of the year and a few notable teachers have done exemplarily well. With the holiday programme coming up with lots of fun activities planned as Ugandan schools break off, we look back at the last few months:

The ABRSM High Scorer’s concert meant that we celebrated those who performed best but we had a few people to specially celebrate. One of these was Ugen, who received the award for the highest overall performance. This is an award we give out for teachers who get outstanding results from their students in ABRMS Exams. Ugen achieved this with his students, who also performed brilliantly at the concert. He is however still training to improve his skills as a guitarist aiming for the Diploma ABRSM to take his professionalism to another level. 

As a child, he grew up seeing his Father sing and talk a lot about music and so, as a young man became passionate about serving his community, country and beyond. As such he committed himself to music as a career. Once coming to Kampala from the village, he started to learn and progress really fast on the guitar where his teacher Josephat and I got inspired by him and he said “I learnt that I could change my whole life using music.” The disciplines that he has learnt through Classical music include time keeping, accountability and commitment because you have to have all these values. 

John Paul

John Paul continues to be committed to his guitar classes attending them regularly. He has attended most of his classes and does his homework. His level of self motivation is high and as such progress has been strengthened. He is now working towards the ABRSM Grade 7 award to be done next year and so far he has completed the main technical work in good time ahead of his exams. He has also been exploring pentatonic scales which has opened him up to be able to join in with the KMS Jazz group, a fertile training ground for the development of music.

John Paul is so enthusiastic to learn more and is starting to explore the worlds of cello and Saxophone and planning to also do exams for grade 1. He is continuously appreciative of the  generosity of those who continue to support hom through the bursary fund, which has been really life changing and continues to transform him from the ghetto from where he is from.

Davis

Davis is a young student who is currently in University. Having attended a catholic school participating in music competitions drew him closer to learning an instrument. They had two violins and he was picked by Stephanie Schmidt to learn a piece on the violin.

Because his teacher left after two months he continued to practice on his own.  He even went onto YouTube when he could afford the MBs to try and learn more about violin playing. He had been inspired by his teacher to be able to read music in an elementary fashion. 

He then came across the Kampala Music School, where he started to learn with a visiting volunteer, Rachel Ellis, his eyes were opened. Learning music at KMS introduced him to the Orchestra and this challenged him to practice more. He did his first violin exam last year which was an achievement to him. He has been able to play in various ensembles since at various functions including weddings. 

Music has changed his life; due to the various performances he has met people who have changed his life such as the kids in brass bands and also visitors who have come to play in the orchestra. Most touchingly recently he said “Violin has made me meet people who have helped me a lot in learning new things, getting friends plus I got a gift of a violin from a friend in the U.K who was my desk partner in the Commonwealth Resounds gala concert.”

Being supported through the Global Giving fund enables him to now receive some training from a new professional violinist in Kampala  “Which will provide an opportunity for me to have regular lessons to help me become a better violinist”.

It is a busy time at Kampala Music School as the new term and school year is starting. We hope to be able to update more information in the next few weeks - however in the meantime we would like to tell you about how John Paul, Kirstein and George are doing:

John Paul

John Paul had been preparing for his Grade 6 ABRSM Practical examinations and he was able to pass to make him one of the most advanced Classical Guitarists at the Kampala Music School. He has attained a Pass in his recent exams. Exam preparation was hampered this year due to heavy workload, with the fact that John Paul supports himself for every need, but for this he is grateful. As a member now of the mentor programme at KMS, he is hoping that he will gain full status as a teacher in due course.

He is extremely grateful for all the support he is receiving in this programme, and hopes that even more of the people from where he comes would be able to benefit from schemes like this.

Kirsten

Has made some very encouraging progress with her pieces, which she plays musically, though there are times when fluency is an issue. It is however rather encouraging that in the short time that she has had, she has covered most of the technical requirements for grade one ABRSM Practical Exams and should be on course to do the exam next year. Her School schedule has been punishing, but she is hopeful that she can do the exams next year, at the next year of offer.

George

Was to have done his Grade 8 exam, however due to workload was unable to do so he continues to work with his teacher Josephat so that he can next year become the second person to achieve Grade 8 ABRSM on Guitar. The other such recipient is preparing for Diploma ABRSM exam and he would become the first Guitar Dip ABRSM in Uganda. George is willing to work hard to emulate his colleague, another previous recipient of the wider KMS bursary scheme.

The vibrance of the guitar department is clear to see and all these students want to invest in other youth coming up and are already proving to be great assets in where this is concerned.