HOW IT ALL STARTED

2009 Needs Assessment

In June 2009 the German Foreign Ministry sponsored a fact finding mission by the Global Music Academy (GMA) in Southern and Eastern Africa. Intensive discussions were held with musicians, music teachers and administrators from 20 institutions in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The team brought back a number of ideas from the discussions.

• There was a there was a great interest in developing a new practical music education system focussing on the music of the region, using modern teaching methods,
• The musicians were keenly aware of the rapid erosion of their cultural heritage and they expressed a strong desire to actively participate in the preservation and promotion of this heritage through developing skills in reading and writing music as well as recording, documentation and curriculum development.
• There was a strong interest in long term exchange and cooperation, not just North-South but also South-South.

2010 Pilot Global Music Campus

The idea of creating the Global Music Campus to test and develop new curriculum was born out of these discussions. In 2010 a Pilot Campus was hosted at the University of Dar Es Salaam funded by the German Foreign Office through its Aktion Afrika program.

24 trainees from nine countries took part in an intensive two week teacher training course where elements of the proposed new curriculum were tested. In addition representatives from music education institutions in ten countries took part to discuss future implementation of the pilot results. The shared goals and objectives of the participating organizations proved fruitful and led to the involvement of new partners.

The international network has since implemented 8 multi-annual trans-national Campuses assisted by generous funding from the German Foreign Office, the Goethe-Institut, the European Union, the Norwegian Foreign Office, the Siemens Foundation, Music Crossroads International, the GIZ, the Goethe Music Section, Joburg Arts & Culture, Africalia as well as through partner funding from the Bayimba Cultural Foundation in Uganda and the Ballanta Music Academy in Sierra Leone.