Field Notes from Kenya: Exploring New Partnerships
S’Cool Sounds Artistic Director Nina Stern and board member Nancy Jo Snider have just returned from a highly productive trip to Kenya, strengthening S’Cool Sounds/Crossing Thresholds (SCS/CT) music programs and developing promising new partnerships.
During their time in and around Nairobi, Nina and Nancy engaged in teaching and training with music students, teachers, and staff, as well as strategic and collaborative planning with Crossing Thresholds (CT) leadership. Another key focus of the visit was building new partnerships with organizations that, like S’Cool Sounds, use the power of music to build community. Partnering with these organizations has the potential to provide new life opportunities for SCS/CT students.
To kick things off, Nina and Nancy led a full-day workshop with the African Women’s Orchestra (AWO), teaching how individual practice habits (like listening, preparation, and discipline strategies) weave into effective group performances. The workshop was organized by SCS Advisory Board Member and AWO Co-Founder Wandiri Karimi. Wandiri also introduced SCS to two new community partners: the Administration Police (AP) Band and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Band.
The AP Band is well regarded as one of the oldest bands founded in Kenya. It serves as an ambassador to the community, performing at public events and celebrations. Meeting at the Administration Police Training College on the Embakasi Campus in Nairobi, the group discussed how SCS/CT students might be guided toward future audition and training opportunities within the AP Band, and how the AP Band might use SCS’s free online Learning Resources site in training their own musicians.
The momentum continued with the Director of Wildlife & Community Service and the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service Band at the KWS Nairobi Headquarters. Discussions focused on collaboration ideas with the KWS Band, including future employment opportunities for SCS/CT students in Kibera and how to use SCS’s online materials to help train their new band members.
Finally, members of the AP Band, the KWS Band, and the AWO gathered for a highly anticipated Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop on SCS teaching methods. Nina, Nancy, and Wandiri passed out a recorder to each participant and demonstrated SCS’s approach to instrumental and ensemble learning. In the afternoon, workshop participants went to the Center of Hope School in Kibera and observed the SCS method in action as SCS/CT students demonstrated their performance skills and were treated to a performance by the professional bands. You can watch a video of one of these moving musical moments below.
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Members of the Administration Police Band, Kenya Wildlife Service Band, and African Women’s Orchestra visited the Center of Hope School to attend a performance by the SCS/CT team. The Administration Police Band performed for the students, then invited all students (including the student drummer) to join in a joyous rendition of the popular Kenyan song, “Jambo Bwana” (composed by Teddy Kalanda Harrison).