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IT ALL began when Tom Toomey visited South Africa in 1997 and saw a boy playing a home-made tin can guitar. He was shocked and saddened to discover there was no music in the school curriculum, but was inspired by the love of music and untapped talent among people he met in the community. For individuals, it seemed a tragic waste of potential while the lack of live music more generally, struck him as a sad gap in peoples lives. So he set about raising funds with the support of loyal friends, many of them in the Yeovil area, and Music for Africa was born. From just one teacher and 20 students in the early days, Music for Africa now has five staff teaching over 140 students in 11 different locations across Limpopo and Cape Town.

And although things have moved on in South Africa, there’s still no music education in many schools. Music for Africa help young people learn mainly guitar and bass guitar, but also keyboards, drums and music recording skills. Students play classical, contemporary and their own traditional music. With each successful year, and the work has grown. Music for Africa has built three new classrooms, provided over 200 young people with guitars and trained three music teachers.

The Music for Africa project is based around the village of Phokwane in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, an area of mountainous scrub desert with mainly dirt tracks between villages.

The villagers, many of whom live on less than £100 a year, derive their income from market trading, where they sell produce from more cultivated areas further north, government occupations in hospitals, police stations and clinics, and taxi driving. Some retail work is available in small supermarkets or by selling firewood or woodcarvings at the side of the road.

Music for Africa’s mission is to bring music in to the every day lives of young people in South Africa. The charity aims to provide young people with life enhancing access to music, particularly those in marginalized and subsistence level communities who otherwise would have no such opportunities, as a result of the apartheid era.sq`

Music for Africa inspires a love of music embracing classical, modern rock and traditional ethnic music. In so doing we raise skill levels, self-esteem, motivation, career and employment prospects. We empower and enable people across the community through music; ensuring skills are embedded to deliver long-term impact through sustainable provision.

They’re doing so much more than teaching kids to play the guitar. Music for Africa is also developing their pride and self esteem. “We are nurturing their determination and ambition as well as giving them a possible means of earning a living,’ says Tom. “75% of our students who enter for music examinations with Trinity College of Music have achieved merits or distinctions and this is reflected in their school work.”

Tom’s passion could be seen from the zeal and commitment he invests in the charity. “I have often been asked why I am passionate about my charity, Music for Africa in South Africa,” comments Tom Toomey.

“The seed for MFA was planted in 1997 when I visited Jill Canney working as a Physiotherapist for VSO, 200 miles north of Johannesburg.

Having played the guitar all my life and taught in Schools and privately for the past 15 years, I know the joy and inspiration playing guitar can bring to people young and old. So, when I visited I was not prepared for what I saw,to my amazement there was no music education at all! Jill introduced me to Elsie Mahloko, a 29 year old mother of 2 who was earning 30 pence per hour as a security guard at the hospital she worked at. Elsie wanted to sing and play so I bought her a guitar for Xmas. Two years later Elsie was invited to perform at Wells Cathedral for Somerset Music by Graham Bland and she brought the house down singing and playing. Elsie has taught for MFA ever since and in 2008 she is taking grade 4 Trinity Classical exams. She earns £7 per hour 10 hours per week and can afford to feed her family. In 2006/7 we won 3 bronze medal awards for highest grades .

Trinity award 50 worldwide each year! Thirty three students this year will take exams up to grade 5 and we employ 4 staff that MFA have taught. They in turn teach 150 students for free each week.

Whenever I go over to visit, all I see are smiling faces and all I hear is fantastic playing which just gets better and better each year. I know that over the years, with the selfless help of many people in Somerset I have the utmost respect for, I have helped improve the life of many children which is what always keeps me going.

Visit: www.musicforafrica.org.uk

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