Music in Kenya

Two years ago, I travelled to Nyeri, Kenya to volunteer at Mount Kenya Academy. I'd heard about the program from my friend, Gillian Clements, who lived in Kenya  for two years and started the string program there. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew I wanted a glimpse behind the hotels and tour buses, into life of everyday Kenyan people. 

Within hours of my arrival, still weary with jet lag (though somewhat bolstered by an ice-cold shower), I played Bach at the school assembly. 300 students sat perfectly silent while I made my way through the first cello suite. At the end they exploded in an uproar. I was immediately the school celebrity. 

I quickly got to work coaching the 60+ violin, viola, and cello students in grades 6-12, as they prepared for the annual ABRSM exam the following week. I did my best to learn names as I was greeted with an enthusiastic, "Hello, Mr. Robert!" everywhere I went. The morning bus ride was particularly challenging, as the kids quizzed me on their names and giggled as I faltered. 

The strings, rosin, and shoulder rests I brought with me were quickly put to good use. Much of their equipment was in disrepair. Several lunch hours were spent shaving down bridges with planes and sandpaper which was dull and worn thin. I coached 6-10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I revived my piano skills too, accompanying more than half of the students when the examiner arrived from the UK for the exams.

In the evenings, I was invited to several faculty members' homes for delicious home-cooked meals. One afternoon, I joined an English class for a discussion on female circumcision and contemporary African writers. But my favorite part of the day was the lunch hour, watching dozens of grade school children cheer with glee on the swing set while the monkeys came out of the forest to investigate. 

Mount Kenya Academy is one of the better boarding schools in Kenya. Boys and girls there come from the highlands, Nairobi, and as far as Mombassa. By Kenyan standards, it is expensive. But the annual tuition would scarcely cover the books at an average private school in the US. Most of the students have never left Kenya, save a couple who've been to Tanzania or Uganda. 

Their passion for music and learning is unique. They are some of the hardest working and most loving kids I've ever met. Two years later, I'm still in email contact with several of them.The faculty strike a fine balance between complete devotion and high expectations. At one school assembly, the principal recapped the soccer game they'd lost the previous weekend, reminding the students that the winning team played without shoes. 

This May, I will return for two weeks to once again help prepare the students for their annual ABRSM exam. I look forward to being reuinted with old friends and making lots of new ones. 
Please consider making a tax deductible contribution toward my travel through Concerts By The Square . I would like to raise $2000 to cover the cost of airfare and supplies for the students.

Any Bay Area musicians with strings, rosin, tuners, shoulder rests, or other equipment in good working condition, please contact me, as well. I hope to bring a full duffel along with me.