BRASS FOR AFRICA IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION THAT USES MUSIC AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN UGANDA, LIBERIA, AND RWANDA. THROUGH OUR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMES, WE PROVIDE MUSIC & LIFE-SKILLS EDUCATION TO +2000 DISADVANTAGED AND VULNERABLE YOUNG PEOPLE, OFFERING THEM OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.
Brass for Africa aims to empower individuals, strengthen communities, and promote positive change in the lives of the participants while also using music as a means of advocacy and social change. Through music, we tackle the following focus areas:
EDUCATION, HEALTH & EQUALITY
HOW WE WORK
LOCAL/INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
We work closely with + 30 community-based organisations, run and led by local people.
We have partnered with over 20 organisations such as the UNHCR, Plan International, Mercury Phoenix Trust, Oxfam and The Elton John AIDS Foundations to deliver our life-changing programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
YOUTH-LED
Young people are the life-blood of Brass for Africa:
We also regularly employ past participants on our Management Team as they are crucial to the organisation’s development.
TEACHER TRAINING
100% of Brass for Africa teachers are alumni of our programmes.
HOW WE WORK
Working with over 1500 disadvantaged children and young people twice a week, we deliver Music & Life-Skills lessons and regular performance opportunities in partnership with over 20 organisations. Our teachers are all alumni of our programmes and, being from the same backgrounds as our participants, they are uniquely qualified to understand the difficulties they face. All our local staff receive a monthly salary with private healthcare, as well as personal and professional development support.
MUSIC EDUCATION
The programmes consists of twice-weekly sessions delivered at each location, regular performance opportunities and exchange days where we bring two or more of our musical communities together. The curriculum is composed of brass band training, music theory lessons and local memory tune learning along with integrated life-skills.
LIFE-SKILLS THROUGH MUSIC
We have created a ground-breaking and innovative curriculum whereby we integrate life-skills into each music lesson. We select an attribute each month, and – through the music – train our participants to approach these as transferable skills, which they can call upon to help them with difficult situations and challenges they may face.
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TEACHER TRAINING
The employment of ex-students and young leaders from its programmes to teach new cohorts is key to the sustainability of our model. Our teaching training programme has currently provided employment opportunities to 18 young teachers, all of who are paid a salary and have access to 1:1 musical training sessions alongside professional and personal development workshops every month, including topics such as leadership, teamwork and budgeting.
INSTRUMENT REPAIR WORKSHOP
We have our own instrument repair workshop where training is provided in instrument repair to local young people, equipping them with the technical skills to maintain the instruments used on the charity’s programmes. Technicians trained in these workshops have come through our programmes themselves, and now also provide repair services to several external customers including the Ugandan Military Band.
