Exciting first days at the new Music Crossroads Academy in Harare!
The usually quiet, Budiriro Youth Training Centre, where the new Music Crossroads Zimbabwe Academy is housed, in the southern suburbs of Harare, has come alive last week, as the new students thronged the venue. The academy opened its doors for an orientation week, introducing its first intake of 30 students to the Professional Certificate Program aimed at taking them higher in their careers in music with an innovative curriculum. This week, the Academy is starting in full swing, with lessons from morning till mid-day.
“I am very excited! It is an honour to be one of the first students of this pioneering academy for upcoming musicians. It is also a blessing as it offered me a scholarship”, said Tafadzwa Gapara a student.
Music Crossroads Zimbabwe staff, headed by the Director Mathias Bangure, led the orientation of students during the first week explaining them the finer details of the curriculum as well as the academy policy and general rules. Academy teacher, Cannan Kamoyo, expressed joy about receiving them and at the successful turn out, which he attributed to the uniqueness of the academy project in Zimbabwe as well as the affordability factor to underprivileged musicians, with many awarded full scholarship.
Fresh on their first day, the MC Zimbabwe Academy students walked around the campus in smalls groups as they were still not familiar with each other, but as the week progressed a sense of group cohesion could be felt amongst them.
“It is good that MC Zimbabwe has opened an academy here in Budiriro. Many of our young musical groups have a lot of talent yet they lack on professional music qualifications. The existence of the Academy and the fact that it is affordable is a great opportunity for our kids to be able to learn and showcase their talents”, said Mirriam Josh, a Budiriro resident.
MC Zimbabwe is extremely happy to see all the work done since the first baseline survey in 2010, towards the creation of the MC Academies project, now coming to fruition with the taking off of the first course of its music academy.
