Music schools awaken talent in children

Carrying a guitar case, a young student walks into the Wynton House of Music School at Village Market in Nairobi. He sits at the reception waiting for his lesson to start. A door to one of the two classrooms opens and a young girl holding a sheaf of music papers walks out. She has just finished her piano lesson.

This a scene that is replicated in a number of music schools in Kenya.

With a new generation of parents keen on giving their children quality music education, playing instruments is no longer just a hobby. Schools are now offering cello, saxophone and flute lessons; instruments that were previously a preserve of the few.

More children are being enrolled in music schools to not only learn instruments and hone their singing skills, but also to improve on concentration, numeracy and language skills.

Music growth

Six years ago, Kamata School of Music only had four piano students being taught from a room in Joseph Kamata’s house in Ngumo Estate, Nairobi.

“To be honest, the venture was very difficult and frustrating. We went on for months without clients and the business ate up all my employment earnings. It gave me every reason to fold up and go home. Despite the frustrations, we became aggressive in marketing. By end of 2009, we began registering a small number of students every month,” says Mr Kamata who teaches guitar.

Over the years, the small room could no longer accommodate the many students enrolling for lessons and he was forced rent an entire floor in the central business district.

He has now opened two more branches in Westlands and Meru town and plans to set up another school on Thika Road.
He has expanded to offer DJ courses, music production, dance and singing. The school also teaches the saxophone, drums and violin.

Classical music

The Kenya Conservatoire of Music is now looking to grow its student population by 100 each year and it is optimist that it is possible. Celebrating its 70th anniversary, it has a main branch opposite the Kenya National Theatre and two more schools at the GoDown Arts Centre and Westlands.

“Previously, there was a perception that classical music is only for a certain class of people. However, with projects like Ghetto Classics, run by Art of Music, and a scholarship programme run by the GoDown and Conservatoire, the attitude towards music tuition is changing,” says Corrine Towett, the Conservatoire’s director.

The Conservatoire, which offers singing classes, engages professionals who host master classes for opera as well as classical and other styles. It also trains students in the violin/viola, piano, guitar, trumpet, cello, drums and flute as well as music theory, conducting and composition.

Ms Towett says people now realise that music gives hope and they can earn a living from it. Her sentiments are echoed by Sarah Shitandi, a singing and classical piano teacher for 12 years.

“With increasing need for musical and cultural expression, people are eager to explore and develop that part of themselves through taking formal musical training,” she says.

She adds that with the possibilities of fame and recognition, it has become appealing to the youth to study music as a career choice.

Mophat Odienge, the director of the International Maestro Centre, says music is now a profession that puts food on the table and opens many doors.

Start early

While opening the Thika Branch, Wynton House of Music decided to hold an open day to give people more information on music theory.

Winnie Muriithi, the principal of Wynton, says despite the growing interest in music, there is still some ignorance with most parents enrolling their children late.

“Majority of the students are teens. Now, we are having pre-teens because parents have started to understand that if they want to grow a child’s talent they need to start early,’’ says the piano teacher.

She says some children take up music after Class Eight or Form Four.

‘‘This is too late. If you want your child to compete favourably in this life, expose them to skill-based subjects. If taught early, it will be easier for the students to create a niche for themselves,” says Ms Muriithi.

A child can start lessons as early as three years old just for fun, as the music teacher focuses on tuning the ear, co-ordination of fingers and strengthening finger muscles, she says.

At this age, according to Ms Muriithi, the ideal instruments to start with are piano then the recorder. If a child attends lessons and practises often, he can do exams at age five to six. Older children and adults can take exams after one year of instruction. Breaks are encouraged between exams to hone skills.

Wandiri Karimi, a classical and acoustic guitar teacher for eight years, blames the government for late introduction to quality music education.

Music was struck off from the 8-4-4 curriculum and now parents have to decide when to develop a child’s talent. To develop your child’s talent from an early age, take them to schools that offer music courses.

Cost of instruments

If you want your child to take up piano, violin or guitar, you need to consider if you want to rent it from the music schools or buy your own.

A violin ranges from Sh50,000 upwards. A grand piano goes for Sh1 million, an upright piano costs Sh300,000 or more while a professional guitar starts from about Sh20,000 depending on the make and quality.

With the instrument in hand, the next thing is to know how much music schools charge per lesson. The cost ranges between Sh1,000 to Sh1,500 for a half-hour session.

You can take your child for private lessons or have a teacher come in once a week. The other option is to enrol them in group classes especially for guitar lessons.

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