We are thrilled that our friend and colleague Professor James Isabirye has recently had a report published, after his in depth research into music learning practices. After extensive work reviving the Bigwala, his report focuses on the indigenous teaching methods used with the young people involved in the project, what this meant for the sustainability…
Our partners and friends Ketebul Music have just launched Episode 2 of their online series Shades of Benga Online, to go alongside their book ‘Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya 1946 -2016’. You can watch the latest episode below, and also find out more at their website here. Shades…
A few years ago we learned about a group in Tanzania who, like Singing Wells, is working to preserve traditional music, but for them the act of preservation is quite literal – the Tanzania Heritage Project is scrambling to digitise reams of reel-to-reel tape recorded between the 1960s and 1980s, which has been literally rotting…
During our recording trips around Kenya – which have taken us over the years to the coast, the west and the central regions – we’ve come across a broad range of fascinating musical instruments played with impressive confidence and mastery by the communities that created them. Since many of these instruments are all but unknown…
Another meeting with a dear friend. Another chance to tell Singing Wells stories…
As we reflect on what we’ve learned with Singing Wells over the last 5 years, maybe, just maybe, music is a lot more important that we originally thought (and Lord knows we love music)
A short while ago we were contacted by Andrea Dyck who is the curator of Contemporary Cultures at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg, Canada. Andrea explained that she was planning an exhibition of traditional African musical instruments and during her research she had come across Singing Wells. We were able to provide Andrea with…
Another friend asked me about Singing Wells – as I told the latest stories, I concluded I should provide an other update…
