The Joke Called Malawian Music: The Artwork of Absence Of Professional Training and Music Education
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to capably analyze maturity, originality and creativity in the art and industry of music. In Malawi it is obvious that the industry has still been wearing diapers, even 50 years after independence.
While one would expect the country’s level of professionalism and extent of music breakthroughs to be enormous, the situation is far different. Historically, however, Malawi’s music industry comes from crystal and prestigious background. The industry lost its marbles and crown of respect somewhere on the way.
It could be that the dynamics and chemistry of music changed globally and the local industry is too rigid to upgrade its own atoms to meet the expectations of the new market. Now the courses of the river of history for Malawi’s music industry flows and sounds like keypads of mere folktales. But it is true, once upon a time, Malawi music made it to the BBC Chart. In 1982, Kalimba Band made it with its hit song Sometimes I Wonder on position 1.
Just two decades later, Malawi’s music industry has lost the aesthetics of its entire honor. A renowned pedagogical expert in Music recently described the music industry in the warm heart of Africa as being laughable. ‘Malawi music is laughable,’ read a shocking heading of a lead story on the Arts/Culture page of The Nation newspaper published on January 28, 2016. Perceptibly, this wasn’t any good news and perchance remains not one to Malawi music aficionados and the entire Malawi music industry.
Many would wish if this unpleasant news was only but a fairytale. Unfortunately, it appears to be bitter truth that musicians should live with and work on. This exposé comes barely a month after a band from Zomba Maximum Security Prison was nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards. Actually, this was the first time in the history of music in Malawi.
It is argued that the hands and brains behind the production of the band’s music wasn’t Malawian, no wonder the surprise the band pulled. This rationale leaves a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, this is a story for another day. Love or loath the writer for publishing such a sting, in all fairness, he was only but putting on paper the digest of Malawi music’s extant standing as observed by the veteran music tutor Wyndham Chechamba. In his statement, Chechamba asserted that Malawi music has reached a ‘laughable state’ owing to lack of formal music training among artists. He further observed that the young generation of musicians lack deep understanding of music and originality despite embracing diversity in their work.
Diversity aside, he observed that Malawi music is laughable because it is monotonous in nature; a majority of musicians do not take time to get training in music. This result into singing repetitive sounds that falls short to be described as music. Said Chechamba, adding that most music lack basic elements of music such as dynamics, melody, harmony tone and rhythm.
Listening to most music today, one would agree with Chechamba that a record number of musicians really lack formal music training. Malawi music industry has for the past years grown big, ironically; a voluminous number of songs produced are only but noise masquerading as music.It isn’t surprising that the struggle to penetrate into the international market is perpetual and many times than not, victory prove to be a failed quest, generally because the market requires original, creative and unique productions. There is no excuse to mediocrity; people won’t buy the music because of appeal to pity. Why should they anyway? Aluta continua.
Still some beams of hope. Nonetheless, there is hope; all is not lost. There is no reason to despair, feel bad or completely curse the country’s ‘mediocre state’ of music. History can repeat itself if musicians take their careers seriously, acquire formal music education and be able to adapt to the ever-changing trends in the contemporary music world.
A number of institutions are presently working tirelessly to untie the manacles pinning down music in Malawi. Music Crossroads Academy (MCA) is one of them. It is devoted to changing Malawi’s music landscape by offering a great and inspiring music education program. Music Crossroads Academy is filling the gap.
Currently, it goes without saying that accessing music education in Malawi is expensive. Most young ambitious musicians have the will power to get a music education, nonetheless; most of them lack the financial muscle to enroll for music education courses. Realizing such a hindrance, MCA introduced an affordable and inspiring educational program initiative that aims at strengthening music education by improving affordability, accessibility, quality and relevance of music education to young talented musicians.
This new phenomenon in Malawi is a great breakthrough and opportunity to every ambitious musician to shape their career and redefine Malawi music. The Academy offers musicians a chance to equip themselves with knowledge and know-how to become professionals, and to take part in the competitive music industry.
MCA provides its students with an exciting and rewarding professional one-year certificate program, which provides a solid training in both the practical and theoretical dimensions of music education. This thrilling, massive and rare opportunity is a golden nugget that no musician who dreams of advancing his/her career can afford to just walk by without getting it.
The relevance of the course needs no aorta of underscoring. The rewards earned by obtained the music certificate are enormous. The courses are taught by a dynamic blend of highly accomplished teachers led by a professional pedagogical leader. The course is complete with visiting musicians, guest-lecturers, and educators. Students graduate from the academy as full and accomplished artists, with highly competitive skills and knowledge in as far as music is concerned. To give the students a comprehensive insight of music, the Academy has an innovative curriculum tailor made to the contemporary music demands.
At the end of the certificate course, students will have acquired both the theoretical and practical knowledge satisfactory to sustain their career path. Some of the things that students learn are Body Percussion, Rhythmic Reading and Writing, Melodic Reading, Harmony, Keyboard Harmony, Applied Harmony and Improvisation, Ensemble Training and voice Training.
Besides, students specialize in an instrument of their choice for instance, Bass, Guitar, Drums and Keyboard. To give the students solid training in music production, workshops are arranged and students learn taught Sound Engineering, Music Business, Music Management, Event Management among other things.
The MCA alumni are producing amazing music and are a testament to the program. There productions soothe the soul and speak to the hearts and have earned them the opportunities to tour in Europe and China. The alumni have truly become topnotch musicians. Their music inspire others and are often played on local Radio Stations.
Trace Music Competition winner of 2015 Sam M’jura Mkandawire is a former MCA student. He walked away with a whooping MK 14,000,000.00 and further went to compete with other finalists from other countries in Kenya. He has already recorded a smashing music album and is working on another. He performs in a band called Mafilika together with Ernest Ikwanga, a great musician who also studied at MCA. Besides playing in that band, Ikwanga also recorded a music album and has a music studio where he records his fellow music artists.
MCA is the hope for quality music in Malawi and a powerhouse where a new generation of extraordinary musicians will come from. The innovative curriculum that the institution is implementing, the state of art equipment, rehearsal labs furnished with hi-tech music equipment, not to mention the highly accomplished teachers, is the reason why Malawi music aficionados have to forget about the current state of Malawi music, but rather cerebrate its reclamation.
