Music Crossroads International to launch creative training for youth

Titled ‘Creative Training for Youth: Europe-Africa’, teachers from the Music Crossroads Academies, as well as young external music enthusiasts from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, will have the opportunity to participate in three different workshops and six trainings from 4 November until 11 December.

The project consists of two creative training campuses that will be organised for two consecutive years. The campuses will propose a variety of capacity building trainings to more than 150 participants and will take place in Harare, Zimbabwe (2016) and Lilongwe, Malawi (2017).

The aim of the project is to develop the required technical skills to improve abilities of young creative people, enable them to generate income and to improve their livelihood in the creative industry.

The project will be co-funded by its partners, the European Union Cooperation (Erasmus+) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Building on previously administrated workshops in partnership with the African Music Development Programme from the International Music Council, the project will deliver a number of workshops in the fields of audio engineering, cultural management as well as instrument build and repair.

The Global Music Academy, an inclusive teacher training and skills development platform from Germany, will coordinate the non-formal trainings with the aim to further develop teaching materials and create a vibrant music education system. This framework will enable talented young musicians to acquire the necessary skills to read, write, document and transmit their own music cultures.

The creative training will end with performances by trainees who will perform on 9 and 10 December at the Alliance Française in Harare. the trainees will include Orquésta Chungu, a band composed of members from Ethiopia, South Africa and Germany, Smooth Groovers from Malawi, Moz Jazz from Mozambique, Madirirano from Zimbabwe and other special guests will be featuring on both nights.

Last year between 29 November and 15 December, Music Crossroads International gathered in Harare for Global Music Campus. The campus trained 20 MCA teachers from Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to develop the technical, theoretical and pedagogical skills needed to improve their livelihood in the creative industry.