The Nairobi Children's Orchestra (Peponi School)

The Nairobi Children's Orchestra is the main initiative of Music Education Services Kenya Limited, MES-K. MES-K was founded to complement and support community efforts to develop music performance education in Kenya. Its main focus is implementing solid educational structures, based on very high standards delivered through a realistic curriculum and supported by effective methods of instruction and assessment.

MES-K will also run instrumental teacher education programmes, advanced ensemble workshops and support systems for teaching resources, academic discourse and general instrumental performance education. MES-K builds and seeks to strengthen partnerships with individuals and organisations locally and internationally that share similar goals, including the Kenya National Youth Orchestra, the Kenya Conservatoire of Music and the Nairobi Orchestra.

The mission of the Nairobi Children’s Orchestra is to develop social, cultural, economic awareness and cohesion through music. Its core mandate is to develop high standards of instrument education and performance in Kenya by building strong musical foundations and instrument discipline from an early age.

The orchestra, open to children between 5 and 14 Years old, will also consist of an orchestra director, consultant conductors and instrument tutors. It will run for 3 sessions in a year. Each session will have ten rehearsals, one per week for ten weeks. There will be a break after five consecutive weeks and a concert at the end of the term. Rehearsals will be every Saturday morning between 9 am and 12 noon.

The tutorial rehearsals will be 90 minutes long; however, there will be a break before sectional rehearsals and workshops, these will last for one hour. The First session will run from 20th April 2013 to 29th June 2013. The final Date will also constitute a public concert. The Costs per child is Ksh1500 per week, which amounts to Ksh 15000 per term.