Combining Music with Community Living: Keys of Change in Ghana

 
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Combining Music with Community Living: Keys of Change in Ghana

Katarzyna Deja, violinist, music educator, and music for social change ambassador

11-06-2024

The author leading a string sectional rehearsal. Photo: Antonia Larde Issifu (ProEye Studios) & ITAC Ghana Collective.

There are many ensembles made up of family members. But have you ever encountered an entire orchestra where every musician feels like a sibling? The Accra Youth Sinfonietta, a youth music program in a small town near Accra, Ghana, is one such orchestra. What makes this ensemble especially familial is that the children not only make music together—they also live together at a children’s home called Kinder Paradise. Many of the children in residence have suffered abuse or neglect and have spent time in unhoused circumstances.

Kinder Paradise offers them all safety, community, well-being—and music. The Sinfonietta was launched through Kinder Paradise’s partnership with the international non-profit organization Keys of Change. I believe this unusual combination of residential and musical community-building may be a valuable model for our worldwide field to take note of.

Teaching artist Enis conducting the children’s choir. Photo: Antonia Larde Issifu (ProEye Studios) & ITAC Ghana Collective.

I was fortunate to have an opportunity, this past summer, to teach violin at Kinder Paradise for a few weeks and to help the students prepare for their annual concert. The program’s permanent teachers are Enis Estaba and Moisés Lugo, two El Sistema Venezuela alumni who live on site and provide instrumental instruction, theory lessons, and choir and orchestra rehearsals. They know every student inside out, their strengths and quirks, their backgrounds.

In addition, online tutors around the world connect with students weekly, offering guidance in individual practice. Occasionally, the program brings those teachers to Accra in person—that’s how I happened to be there. Meeting a student whom I taught remotely for two years was a moment I won’t forget!

One evening, I was able to sit down with Enis and Moisés over a meal of tomato stew with fried plantain and to ask about their experiences. “Working here is a life-changing experience for me,” Enis said. “I feel at peace surrounded by these incredible people.” Moisés lives by the motto “Don’t stop dreaming, learning, loving.” He writes it beneath the title of every piece he arranges for the orchestra.

During our talk, little Maxwell dashed up, shouting, “Miss, I want to come to the rehearsal!” He’s only six, not officially in the orchestra yet—but he joined us, drumming along on a small djembe. Rhythm seems to run through his veins, and he’s joyful when he’s making music. The staff at Kinder Paradise told me that his earliest years included traumatic experiences, and it took some time for him to feel safe here. The combination of a safe living space and an in-house musical ensemble has created a powerful sanctuary for Maxwell and children like him.

Titibi, a student soloist, performing during the annual concert. Photo credit Antonia Larde Issifu (ProEye Studios) & ITAC Ghana Collective.

This hybrid project is one of the many initiatives of the Keys of Change (KOC) organization. Its founder, Panos Karan, spends a great deal of time on airplanes, traveling around the world to work with the Keys of Change youth orchestras (and also to perform as a solo pianist and, on occasion, to run marathons). When I asked him about how KOC began, he reflected on a time when he almost wanted to give up playing the piano because, despite performing at dream venues like Carnegie Hall, he felt something was missing. He began to chase a new, wild idea: carrying an electric piano and a huge speaker on his back, he brought music to the remotest corners of the Amazon and to other parts of the world. Thirteen years later, the KOC projects he developed in Mexico, India, Ecuador, and Japan are thriving.

Accra Youth Sinfonietta, the KOC project in Ghana, was launched during the pandemic; lessons were conducted online. In 2022, the first on-site teacher arrived. Already, this orchestra has established strong bonds and is growing artistically by leaps and bounds.

Being part of the orchestra at Kinder Paradise is about much more than learning to play an instrument. For some, music is nothing short of lifesaving. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” says one student. Another student says music holds a spiritual power: “We’re gathering as one and playing for the Lord.”

Atsu helping with tuning before the rehearsal. Photo: Antonia Larde Issifu (ProEye Studios) & ITAC Ghana Collective.

Atsu, who plays violin and viola, says, “I want to be a music teacher.” He’s studying viola online with Pedro, a Venezuelan instructor who’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in pedagogy in Lugano, Switzerland. During rehearsals, Atsu often leaps in front of the orchestra, conducting with a contagious energy that lights up the room. His dream has ignited support from the whole team: Enis has designed an assistantship program to train him to teach violin and viola to younger students.

After visiting the Kinder Paradise Keys of Change program, I’m returning to my own students with renewed energy and insight. When life security and musical opportunity are combined, they can create a potent space for personal and social change.

Accra Youth Sinfonietta, Children’s Home Music Program, Community Building through Music, El Sistema Venezuela Alumni, Family-Oriented Ensembles, Ghana Youth Orchestra, Global Youth Orchestras, Hybrid Music Projects, Inspirational Teaching, International Music Partnerships, Katarzyna Deja, Keys of Change, Kinder Paradise, Life-Changing Music Programs, Music and Social Healing, Music as Sanctuary, Music Education and Wellbeing, Music for Social Change, November 2024, Online Music Tutoring, Panos Karan, Personal Growth through Music, Trauma Recovery through Arts, Youth Empowerment through Music, Youth Leadership in Music

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