Music Crossroads - 2022 Year in Review

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

2022 was a year of growth and adaptation. Finding ways to successfully empower youth and operate music academies in a post-covid reality was a challenge we faced head??on. With the generous support from our??funders and partners, we have been able to continue the work of making quality music education accessible and affordable - positively impacting on the lives of thousands of young people and the communities they come from. Thank you all for walking this journey with us. We are forever grateful. Here's to 20-Twenty-Free. May we be granted the freedom to grow, build and may music bring joy to all of you in 2023.

Joe Herrmann

Director Music Crossroads

ETHNO MOZAMBIQUE

This year Music Crossroads Mozambique hosted their first ever Ethno Music Camp. 20 young artists from Mozambique and Malawi participated in this??event. The team comprised of 4 artistic mentors, who are also MCA Alumni. The camp was 7 days of intense workshops and jam sessions, culminating in two public shows.

Ethno Music Camp aims to promote democracy, togetherness, mutual respect and self expression.

Number of Beneficiaries: 24

Outreach: 5.000

Pakhonde Ethno Music Festival

Pakhonde festival attracted 180 musicians representing 36 acts over a period of three days. Community focus and involvement, and an eco-friendly policy, is a unique aspect that sets it apart from other festivals in Malawi. The festival is a celebration of the traditional music cultures of Malawi, and neighbouring countries. The festival trained 30 young people who are now, a new generation of festival and events managers. Pakhonde is set to be an annual festival.

MOVE

MOVE is an exchange program for young musicians and organizers between Norway, Malawi, Mozambique and Brazil. The program is directed towards youth in the age group of eighteen to twenty-five years, and is a cooperation between?FK Norway,?Music Crossroads Malawi,?Music Crossroads Mozambique?and?Projeto Guri?in Brazil. After a two year COVID??enforced hiatus the programe is back in full swing with participants currently working on projects across all four countries

MUSIC BUSINESS SCHOOL

This year saw the introduction of The Music Business School, aimed at producing competent music professionals as well as music creatives. The project is coordinated by Music Crossroads Academy Zimbabwe and is implemented by all three academies. The project enrolls a total of 82 students across all Academies with close on 32% female representation.

The Music Business School is envisaged to develop into a practical application program through the Sounds of Africa musical concert, set to perform at a regional festival before the end of the first quarter of 2023. The Sounds of Africa is a production that is set to take the audience on a journey of African sounds.

In addition the Music Business School is scheduled to offer online classes by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

FOCUSRITE SCHOLARSHIP

The Focusrite Scholarship / Residency Program has funded a total of 65 students of the past 4 years.

This year we had a total of 70 applicants across the academies. Our aim was to cater for 26 students however, the program benefited a total of 33 young people studying at the Music Crossroads Academies in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in 2022. We currently have students in all 3 levels of learning. Our current beneficiaries are 54% female, working towards supporting empowering female musicians within the industry.

CREATIVE TRAINING CAMPUS

From the end of 2021, through March 2023, our Creative Teacher Training brought participants??together to hone their skills as music teachers, music instrument builders, repairers, cultural managers and audio engineers. With a pool of trainers from 7 different countries, unable to travel,??to Africa due to covid-19, we were granted an opportunity to evolve, and the training was approached in a??hybrid format utilising an online platform, alongside in-person training, with emphasis on peer learning.

IMAGINE

Hosted at the Music Crossroads Academy in Zimbabwe, the Imagine Experience National competition showcased seven polished acts, among them, bands, solos and duets. A??series of pre-selections, digital and live - was the first phase of the competition. Groups were selected to participate in either provincial or national finals, where one winning artist??was selected from each country to participate in the Imagine International Final.

Each Imagine event offers workshops and training to help young musicians take their career to the next level, connecting with other young artists, building friendships and having a good time.

Vazukuru veAfrica, represented us well at the international final in Brussels and we look forward to Imagine 2023!

LOUD + FEMALE EMPOWERMENT

Music Crossroads Mozambique supported the first ever LOUD Camp in Chimoio. 26 young girls attended activities focussed on instrument carousel, composition, gender roles and creation of a safe space for young girls to be themselves. Four Female facilitators, one of them a MCA Alumni joined the camp to assist the girls.

Two Focusrite first year female students have joined the fight for equality within the sector by registering for a course on Sound Engineering.

This year MCAMoz was invited by the National Television to talk about the issues of gender equality and share our experience in the struggle for Female empowerment. Two of our facilitators from the LOUD project Amelia and Kalusa participated and spoke about abuse and violence against girls. The aim was to raise awareness of domestic violence and child marriage.

WOMEX

Melody Zambuko participated in a panel of speakers that engaged in music business, talks, sessions, workshops and day showcases, in unison of global music artists, companies and professionals throughout the 5-day intense sessionsat WOMEX, which took place in Lisbon in October. This year's culturally and musically diverse event, hosted more than 3,100 music professionals (including 280 performing artists) from 113 countries, with more than 60 showcase artists representing 280 musicians spread across seven stages, 21 music-based documentaries. 11 speakers and mentors participated in the conference sessions and a bustling trade fair with 676 exhibiting companies with more than 260 stands and two radio studios on-site.

WISHING YOU A JOY-FILLED FESTIVE SEASON AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!