Creative Training Campus to empower musicians in South Africa

Music Crossroads International launched its new project Creative Training for Youth: Europe - Africa, with the support of the EU Cooperation (Erasmus+), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners.

The initiative consists of two Creative Training Campuses which offer Capacity Building Workshops and Trainings to students and teachers from the Music Crossroads Academies, as well as to external creative people from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The aim is to develop their required technical skills to enable them to generate income and improve their livelihood in the music industry.

The first Creative Training Campus took place this year in Harare (Zimbabwe), from the 4th of November to the 10th of December 2016. It delivered 7 to 10 days Capacity Building Workshops in three distinctive fields as well as Trainings in Harmony, Keyboard Harmony, Drums and Percussions.

The Audio Engineering Workshop, facilitated by Gert Müller, developed participants’ knowledge on music production, recording techniques and live sound. Hans Geerdink’s Workshop on Instrument Build and Repair covered topics such as maintenance and repair for both electric and acoustic instruments. Furthermore, during the Cultural Management Workshop, Luc Mayitoukou shared his knowledge about the characteristics of the music market at local and international level.

After the Workshops, the Teacher Training Campus coordinated by the Global Music Academy, educational partner of Music Crossroads, was held to provide innovative teaching solutions. The Academy's teachers joined this 15 days non-formal training to further develop their capabilities and therefore create a more vibrant music education system.

To conclude the Creative Training Campus in music, Music Crossroads organized the Fusion Africa Festival that brought together artists from Ethiopia, Germany, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The event offered brilliant performances by Orquéstra Chungu, the Smooth Groovers, Madirirano and a few local bands.

More information Music Crossroads’ projects check the website, the Facebook page and Twitter.