AKA launches scholarship for young producers

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The scholarship is targeted at young South Africans who like AKA are committed and determined to achieve success. Officially known as the ‘AKA Scholarship, powered by Bridges for Music and SAE’, it creates a brighter future for the successful candidate through the removal of financial obstacles, as well as mentoring sessions, internship opportunities, career guidance and life skills development.

The SAE Institute is an internationally accredited tertiary institution, delivering creative media education in sound, film and animation. The campus at the Woodstock Exchange in the heart of Cape Town is one of 54 SAE campuses in 28 countries and includes world-class facilities with the latest technology. This new scholarship covers the full year of tuition for SAE’s full-time Higher Certificate in Sound Production at the state-of-the-art campus.

The qualification provides students with the practical skills necessary to work in the entertainment industry. Students learn the technical and creative aspects of the recording process by working on complex projects in various professional studio environments. The course covers all aspects of sound production, studio recording and live sound reinforcement techniques, mixing, mastering, MIDI and modern music creation, music business, studio acoustics and the application of current technology to the music production process. Students also gain expertise in music and business management, marketing, communications and knowledge of the contemporary ‘infotainment’ industry.

AKA, who picked up two 2016 Metro FM Awards for his hit ‘Baddest’ featuring Nigerian star Burna Boy and also recently collaborated with fellow AFRIMMA winner Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz on ‘Make Me Sing’, was a logical choice to lend his weight to the latest sound production scholarship, with his successful career inspiring thousands of young South Africans. The rapper has established himself as one of South Africa’s top talents, a musician and producer who understands the importance of creating opportunities such as this scholarship.

“It’s a great honour for me to be able to offer a young aspiring musician/producer/engineer an opportunity to equip themselves with the skills needed to begin a career in the industry,” said AKA. “I myself studied to be a sound engineer and I still use the same skills I acquired all those years back, in the day to day happenings of my own career. Thank you SAE and Bridges for Music for partnering with me on this awesome initiative. Good luck to the recipient of this scholarship – and see you at the top!”

This scholarship is the latest collaboration between Bridges for Music and SAE and adds to their existing scholarship programme with top artists Ready D, Black Coffee and Young Guru from the US (Jay Z’s engineer and tour DJ).

SAE Director Trenton Birch said: “We are very excited to partner with AKA and Bridges for Music for this scholarship. AKA is a very talented, committed artist who has also studied sound engineering. He has an amazing work ethic and is the perfect person to have as a scholarship patron. Teaming up to provide opportunities for young disadvantaged creatives is incredibly powerful and we are inspired to be able to offer a platform that can truly change lives.”

How to apply

The scholarship is open to South African citizens. All candidates must hold a Grade 12 certificate. This year there are four scholarships available. The scholarship is only valid for the July 2016 study intake. Candidates will be responsible for all living and travel expenses should they come from outside of Cape Town.

To apply for the scholarship, candidates must complete the online application form. They will then be sent a follow-up e-mail detailing the next steps to complete the application. Applications close on Saturday 30 April. AKA will make the final decision on who the successful candidate will be.

For more details visit the SAE website.