About Our Music Program
A Spring of Hope is excited to bring music to Acornhoek. In partnership with Grammy Award Winning South African Bassist, Bakithi Kumalo and Village Music, A Spring of Hope presents Bakithi Kumalo’s Music Mentorship Program. This program is centered around music and supports the children in Acornhoek, South Africa. At the end of the school day, children from the Acornhoek community are currently invited to receive an additional meal and hangout with friends before they head home for the day. With the support of teachers from Beretta Primary School, Bakithi Kumalo, and Village Music, A Spring of Hope will host music classes twice a week during their After School Program. The goal of these group classes are to get children excited about music and expose them to different genres of music and musical instruments. These classes will be engaging and fun, and will focus on teaching the basics of music and encouraging children to have fun with instruments.
A Spring of Hope’s Permaculture Centre will also offer more advanced sessions through Bakithi Kumalo’s Music Mentorship Program. Talented and passionate students will be invited to participate in small group lessons once a week. Students will be encouraged to find the instrument that speaks to them, the one that inspires them, and they will be taught how to play their instrument, read and compose music and produce music with a group of their peers.
Currently, A Spring of Hope, Bakithi Kumalo, and Village Music are looking for sponsors to support this program. Donations towards this program will support the purchase of instruments, music equipment, and will enable us to keep this program free to students.
About Bakithi Kumalo
Bakithi Kumalo is the legendary bass player for Paul Simon and a Grammy award-winning bassist, composer and vocalist. Bakithi Kumalo was born in the Soweto Township of Johannesburg, surrounded by relatives who loved music and actively performed. Kumalo worked as a session musician in South Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s, eventually becoming a top session bassist and accompanying international performers during their South African tours.
Bakithi Kumalo’s musical career has been characterized by series of serendipitous events, ranging from his debut gig as a precocious seven year old filling in for the bassist in his uncle’s band to his enlistment into Paul Simon’s group during the recording sessions of the pop star’s landmark Graceland Album in 1985.
Kumalo has also been active as a solo artist, with five fine albums to his credit, 1998’s San’ Bonan, 2000’s In Front of My Eye, 2008’s Transmigration, 2011’s Change, 2016’s After All These Years, 2020’s Electric Flow.
In addition to performing both nationally and internationally, Bakithi Kumalo now presents collegiate, community, and middle to high school music mentorship and arts-education programming.
Music has the power to transport us to another time and place and Kumalo loves to harness that power with fellow music lovers and passionate musicians alike. Ever since a young age, Bakithi has found great joy and satisfaction by being involved in the creative music process and now he wants to infuse the music and lives of our youth with that same passion and enthusiasm and to offer them tips about how to succeed in the music industry.
Donate to Support our Music Program!
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