Turn Round __ chance for musicians in Tanzania
Stand first: A Music school set up in Dar es Salaam is set to change the face of music in this country by introducing professional courses of international standards. Exactly how does the school Turn Round intend to turn it around for the musicians of this country? Deogratias Kishombo talked to Noah Omolo the Music Director of the Academy.
Blurb: Facts about TMA
· It offers tuition at a very subsidized rate thus providing learning opportunities for as many people as possible
· Training individuals who do not necessarily have to sit for exams
· Training and preparing candidates who want to be awarded certificates by VETA
ARE you looking for a music school: Think of Turn Round Music Academy (TMA) here in Dar-es-Salaam. “We are going to make your dreams come true”, its slogan promises.
Located in the Mikocheni area alongside the old Bagamoyo road, the school aims to fulfill the government mission of eradicating poverty, ignorance and diseases.
“We want to develop musical talent in Tanzania and we would like them to know how to play written music as well as playing by ear to a professional degree”
We will do this by providing music education to Tanzanians with necessary qualifications without tribal, gender, color or religious discrimination.
It offers numerous courses such as piano, guitar, trumpet, violin, flute, music theory (reading and sight playing), voice training, percussion course and drum set and saxophone.
The school applies the classical approach (British syllabus) Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Grades 1-8 well as the modern approach London college of music (LCM).
Established in May this year, the school expects that the implementation of a strategic plan will enable it to register over 1000 students by the year 2011. Only after two months, it has registered 30 students.
We teach all kinds of instruments, guitar, keyboard, trumpet, music theory, sight playing, voice training, staff notation, tonic sol-fa and so on, said Noah Omolo the school music Director on Tuesday. Omolo studied music at the University of Nairobi and in Paul Valery University in Montpellier in southern France.
He said that they have decided to bring the music school to Dar es Salaam due to the fact that there are not many good music academies in Tanzania compared to Nairobi in Kenya.
We want to develop musical talent in Tanzania and we would like them to know how to play written music as well as playing by ear to a professional degree.
Mr. Omolo said that the school offers skills for beginners, intermediate and advance level for music learners who would like to be equipped with knowledge in order to perform better in their careers.
We have about 30 students from all backgrounds; secular, religious, working class, and students
From all backgrounds secular, religious, working class, student, etc he said
He added that they have students who study music here because of leisure and others who want to take it up as a serious business.
According to Omolo the turnout of students is very encouraging with about 180 students who have so far expressed an interest in this institution and of these about 30 have already enrolled.
The staff of Turn round has formed a music group and has gone to several institutions to perform live and explain what they do.
They have appeared at the laureate International School and Dar e s salaam International School.
"Many schools are going to form partnerships with us with a view to us teaching at their schools or them bringing students to our school." Said Omolo
The school intends to expand and move to other campuses as demand grows, also to form live bands to perform both gospel and secular music which will be performing in many diverse occasions.
"We also intend to build recording studios and record all up coming musicians and performing artists as we train musicians to do international exams like those of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music of London" Omolo said
The music director also said that the school was to train musicians to prepare for the famous
Tusker Project Fame and Bongo Star search.
