The Maestro Online Global Music Activity
Uganda Outreach
The Uganda Music Project
I have always been interested in other cultures, right back to choosing Islam for GCSE RE and Hinduism for A Level, then living with a tribe in Gambia, studying with groups in South Africa, learning with experts in Thailand, teaching in Cairo for 4 years, learning Arabic singing, tabla and violin (yes, quarter tones included), and much more besides. When the RCO (Royal College of Organists) asked if I would lead 3 online masterclasses for The Organ Academy in Uganda in 2022, I jumped at it. Little did I realise that this would lead to an ongoing relationship that would lead to an invitation to come over in person.
A Long-Term Music Project
I have always been interested in other cultures, right back to choosing Islam for GCSE RE and Hinduism for A Level, then living with a tribe in Gambia, studying with groups in South Africa, learning with experts in Thailand, teaching in Cairo for 4 years, learning Arabic singing, tabla and violin (yes, quarter tones included), and much more besides. When the RCO (Royal College of Organists) asked if I would lead 3 online masterclasses for The Organ Academy in Uganda in 2022, I jumped at it. Little did I realise that this would lead to an ongoing relationship that would lead to an invitation to come over in person.
In all honesty, the invite to visit in person came over a year ago, but there was so much to do to make this not just viable, but effective. When I was Head of Performing Arts at the New Cairo British International School, I was impressed with how their staff training used the same external expert each year so that everything was continuous, consistent and constantly evolving. I had the same concept about the Ugandan project: this shouldn’t be a one-off event, but rather a planned long-term initiative.
Global Musical Cultures
I have always been interested in other cultures, right back to choosing Islam for GCSE RE and Hinduism for A Level, then living with a tribe in Gambia, studying with groups in South Africa, learning with experts in Thailand, teaching in Cairo for 4 years, learning Arabic singing, tabla and violin (yes, quarter tones included), and much more besides. When the RCO (Royal College of Organists) asked if I would lead 3 online masterclasses for The Organ Academy in Uganda in 2022, I jumped at it. Little did I realise that this would lead to an ongoing relationship that would lead to an invitation to come over in person
Introducing Music Masterclasses to Uganda
In all honesty, the invite to visit in person came over a year ago, but there was so much to do to make this not just viable, but effective. When I was Head of Performing Arts at the New Cairo British International School, I was impressed with how their staff training used the same external expert each year so that everything was continuous, consistent and constantly evolving. I had the same concept about the Ugandan project: this shouldn’t be a one-off event, but rather a planned long-term initiative.
All Inclusive Musical Education
The project, from the very outset, included learners at all stages of their journey. Some were beginners and some were advanced. The talent in Uganda is quite striking.
The first step was to introduce members of The Organ Academy to The Maestro Online online courses and masterclasses. They were given free access to explore and utilise the resources as they wished. Many were extremely keen. Some had internet access challenges, but Kampala (the capital city) is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and even in the last 2 years there is huge progress in terms of technological development (100 Mbps now readily available in Kampala). The Government has been working to reduce costs to consumers by 50% by January 2025, so this is already making a significant difference.
A Detailed Holistic & Sustainable Plan
Having secured funding for the flight from a generous UK benefactor, we set about a structured plan with a minimum of one significant event per day. The 10 days include guest conducting at Namirembe Cathedral, adjudicating a festival, giving masterclasses, supporting an SEN school, collaborating with a university music department, recording more masterclasses for The Maestro Online and much more besides. From here, the money from other UK benefactors will be used to provide ongoing support either via Zoom lessons or via access to our online self-study courses for schools and universities.
The plan for this year is also to lay a foundation for future years, to explore the possibilities of choral festivals, competitions, collaborations and more so that the whole project becomes ongoing and sustainable, establishing ongoing Zoom connections and annual or possibly even biannual events.
If you would like to donate to this cause, please visit the bottom of https://www.the-maestro-online.com/music-lessons/ where you will find different donation amounts. If you would like to collaborate and somehow take part in this or other projects, we are particularly interested in exploring India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Hungary over the coming couple of years.
