The Music for Africa project is based around the village of Phokwane in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, an area of mountainous scrub desert with mainly dirt tracks between villages. The villagers, many of whom live on less than £100 a year, derive their income from market trading, where they sell produce from more cultivated areas further north, government occupations in hospitals, police stations and clinics, and taxi driving. Some retail work is available in small supermarkets or by selling firewood or wood carvings at the side of the road.
Music is the universal language and by providing resources (not just for music) we are hoping to inspire a whole generation of children in rural Africa to have opportunities they would never have dreamed about.
We're doing so much more than teaching kids to play music. We're also developing their pride and self esteem; we're nurturing their determination and ambition as well as giving them a possible means of earning a living. 75% of our students who enter for music examinations with Trinity College of Music have achieved merits or distinctions and this is reflected in their school work.
Thirty seven per cent of the population are under 15 years old, so the more we can do for this age group now, the better, because we're helping the future generation of a nation that's struggling to rebuild itself.
The full story can be found here
The History of Music for Africa
DECEMBER '97 Tom Toomey visits his friend Jill (who's in the middle of a 2-year Voluntary Service Overseas contract as a physiotherapist) at St Rita's Hospital near Glen Cowie in the Northern province. He meets Thelma, a little girl whose mother (one of Jill's patients) can't afford to send her to the local primary school. Tom offers to pay for her.
Tom also meets Elsie Mohloko, a hospital security guard, with a burning ambition to work as a performing artist but on 30p an hour (and 2 children to support) can't afford the training. Tom teaches her to play a few Tracey Chapman songs (Tracey Chapman being her hero) and gives her a guitar to practice with when he leaves.
MARCH '98 Tom revisits Jill, pays Thelma's schooling bill for the year - £1.50(!!) - and goes to visit her school. At Lehlake Primary in Phokwane, 900 pupils are being taught 70 to a class in sub-standard accommodation managed by headmaster, Elias Seloane, from a breezeblock hut with a leaking corrugated roof. The foundations for new school premises had been abandoned years ago. There are certainly no facilities for the teaching and learning of music here.
Tom tells Elias he wants to do something to help the kids musically and Elias tells Tom about Matthew Matebane, his school caretaker, who is also an accomplished guitarist.
Meanwhile, Elsie has been progressing with her guitar at such a rate that Tom suggests both Matthew and Elsie start teaching music: he says he'll find some way of providing the instruments and paying their wages. They each run an after-school music workshop once a week - while continuing with their day jobs.
APRIL '98 Back in England, Tom begs and 'borrows' unwanted musical instruments from anyone who'll listen and organizes his first fund-raising event at The Phelips Arms in Montacute.
JULY '98 He returns to SA with £300 cash, guitars, recorders, glockenspiels - and 2 snare drums for the village's majorette troop.
JULY '98 - JULY '99 Tom makes several trips to SA with more cash, instruments and spends time teaching the kids.
JULY '99 1st open-air concert at Haselbury Mill, Yeovil. 12 bands perform and friends assist with the arrangements. Musicians give their time free (including Gordon Haskell - King Crimson and Robbie McIntosh - Wings). Tom brings Elias Seloane over who thanks everyone for their support and appeals for warm clothing for the kids (the winters are short but cold in SA). Tom raises £5,000 from this first concert - and that's enough to get the school classroom building programme kick-started!
AUGUST '99 Tom takes instruments, cash and 8 suitcases of clothing to SA with the support of Anna, a BA steward who gave up her staff cargo space.
SEPTEMBER '99 Rosie Russell, Head of the Music Department, Yeovil College organizes a 12-month scholarship for Elsie to gain a Performing Arts Diploma. She leaves her 2 children and comes to England.
While in England, Elsie gives a concert in Wells Cathedral singing, among others, several Tracey Chapman songs.
Meanwhile, back in SA, SAMET (South African Music Education Trust) gives Tom's project a small amount of funding - just enough to keep things going.
JULY '00 The 2nd Music for Africa concert at Haselbury Mill.
MAY '01 Back to SA with a delivery of 45 classical , 1 bass and 2 electric guitars and 250 kg of children's clothing as well as pens, pencils, and writing materials kindly donated by Monteclefe Junior School in Somerton.
Huish College donates 50 guitars.
JULY '01 The 3rd Music for Africa concert at Haselbury Mill.
Meanwhile, Tom realises that if his project is going to develop he needs to bring in other schools and other people - so he runs a teachers' workshop. As a result of this, the original project jumps from 1 school to 7!
The school building project is coming along nicely. A friend, Jeremy Wood gives Tom a single contribution that is large enough to buy the roof! James Perry of Perrywood Designs Ltd physically goes out there to help raise it!
JANUARY '02 After a concert at Huish College, Taunton, which raises £800 to buy more guitars, four music students (Jo Williams - guitar, Mark Sambell - keyboards, Pippa Graham - bass guitar and Tasha Sweet - flute and keyboards) ask Tom if they can spend some time in SA running music workshops for the kids. They pay their own way and spend between 2 and 5 months there teaching in the 7 schools.
JULY '02 The 4th Music for Africa concert takes place at the Octagon Theatre offers his services freely and agrees to become honorary patron.
JULY '02 The 5th concert moves to Montacute House, with the kind permission of the National Trust - who help Tom to organize the event. After so many years, and with so many wonderful supporter, the concerts are now becoming a feature of the Somerset summer.
JANUARY '04 Back in SA, Tom organizes music workshops with Katrina Fountain and Ray Phiri.
Colin Molemane - was one of the original kids who started to learn guitar in 2000. After 4 years of learning, he becomes the third part-time teacher in the project - and achieves Grade 1 with merit in Classical Guitar at Yeovil College.
Since those early days MFA continues to expand.
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