Closing the year with a hit! Music Crossroads’ initiative: Creative Training for Youth

Originally planned as a physical campus in Mozambique for 2020, bringing together over 100 participants from 10 different countries was eventually cancelled.

The replacement is here: our first ever online training campus.

The adapted training to be delivered online, has posed a great opportunity! The campus runs simultaneously in the 3 target countries. Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Hosted by the MCA in each country, the event will bring together over 200 participants, doubling the training delivery capacity of the event.

Trainers from 7 countries deliver their lesson vial video calls to local peer trainers, carefully selected by each Music Crossroads Academy (MCA). The local peer trainers, together with the best students from the previous campus, assist the international trainers in supervising and monitoring the training, as well as conducting practical aspects of the training. In other words, They take the content of a lesson and deliver the training to the participants present in each location. In this way, we allow for some Hands-on training as well. So in practical terms is a hybrid campus!

The training workshops have been concluded and were successful beyond our expectations! Focus was on the areas of audio engineering, instrument build & repair and cultural management, and allowed for the continuation of training delivered in the previous phase of the project.

Teacher training makes up the second and largest part of the campus and it is currently ongoing. For 8 weeks, the 3 countries receive training with live lessons online, four times a week, in addition to individual instrumental lessons. The trainees’ progress and work is constantly monitored. With assignments and group/individual work, for in between the live lessons, as well as allowing them to practice and revise the content covered. The courses content: Pedagogy, Teaching Practice, Harmony, Ear Training, Transcribing/Arranging for Small Band, Big Band, Improvisation, Main instrument, Keyboard Harmony and Music of Africa.

Furthermore, there will be training on the usage of E-platform for teaching. The trainees will in some cases be tasked to submit videos of their work or ensembles, in order for the trainers to evaluate their work and progress.

The curricula development, will provide the structure of a 3-year program in professional music training, this will enable talented young musicians to acquire the necessary instrumental and analytical skills to read, write, document and transmit their own music cultures. The multicultural interaction and collaboration facilitates the development of a vibrant music education system in the region.

Showcase concert: to close the entire event, a showcase concert will be organised by the 3 countries and will be streamed online. Date: TBA The multi-cultural event will show how important music education is, as well as promote the preservation of culture and traditional music identity in the region. In addition, the participants of the Audio Engineering, and Cultural management workshops will be involved in their own capacities to organize and run the event, gaining invaluable hands-on experience.

The entire event is made possible by the kind support from the Norwegian Embassy, The Erasmus + programme of the EU and national supporters of each Music Crossroads Academy, and the hard work of all of the partners involved.