The masterclass was held to teach youngsters from the age of five to 16 about traditional African instruments such as the kora and the mbira.
The children were tutored by the musicians with Senyatso showing them how to slap the bass, Makhene teaching them percussion and Koya showing them the ropes of the saxophone. The children were then given the chance to do their own performances using the skills and instruments they had just been introduced to.
“Since I love working with young people [doing workshops] locally and internationally, Aymeric Péguillan [managing director of The Orbit] and I had a discussion on introducing workshops for our young adults from different schools. The idea of doing a masterclass and a performance at the same time thrilled me. And that’s where my inspiration came from … to pass on our beautiful heritage to our future generation,” explained Mohammed.
Thanks to Standard Bank and The Orbit, the masterclass was able to be put on. Hazel Chimhandamba, senior manager of group sponsorships at Standard Bank said, “Standard Bank is passionate, not only about the arts, but the development of artists from a very young age.”
Mohammed said, “There is no doubt in my mind that introducing music to our younger generation, especially African music, can help them with their musical journeys in the future, especially abroad. I believe music of the future will come from Africa. It is of the utmost importance that our children know about their musical past as opposed to what they are listening to on the radio.”
He believes children should study all forms of music, as well as African music. “By putting all these elements together, it gives them a better chance of becoming great producers of fusing African with European-influenced elements. In that way, they will be different and ready to conquer the world.”
Details: www.theorbit.co.za
