Music Crossroads International launches project for musicians

With support from EU Cooperation (Erasmus+), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners, this initiative is made up of two Creative Training Campuses which offer capacity building workshops and trainings to students and teachers from the Music Crossroads Academies. The workshops also accommodate 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 was held last year in Harare, Zimbabwe from 4 November to 10 December. It delivered 7-10 days Capacity Building Workshops as well as 15 days Teacher Trainings. The beneficiaries included 58 students and teachers from the Academies and 20 external participants.

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 in harmony, keyboard harmony, drums and percussions. The Academies' teachers joined this 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, MCI 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.