CHANGING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC

The Big Bands in Botswana project established by the Botswana Society For Jazz Education (BSJE) and sponsored by the Embassy of the United States of America officially launched in Bontleng, Gaborone this past Friday. Members of Bontleng community will through this project, be the first to benefit from music instruments playing lessons courtesy of BSJE, who have roped in different musicians and instrumentalists to teach them how to play a wide range of musical instruments . The chairperson of BSJE Akhutlheleng Mogami told The Midweek Sun that the aim of the project is to use music as a tool for social change. She said they would teach members of the Bontleng community how to play musical instruments with the hope that they could harness their newly developed skills and gain the ability to make a living through music. The once in a lifetime project is anticipated to bring a ray of hope and joy to both young and old, most of who are endowed with untapped artistic talent.Mogami conceded that a project of such magnitude would change the lives of many community members in the township. “We believe that music can be a tool for spreading peace, reason being that it unites members of the community, encourages group engagements and also disciplines the learner due to the countless hours of practice required. Teaching the members of the community how to play musical instruments also presents them with an opportunity of making a living through music and not only rely on an office job or sitting at home complaining about the lack of jobs in the country,” she said. Mogami added that the growth of this project would be the opportunity to spread knowledge on jazz music, its historical relevance and other benefits of the arts in the development of societies. “We also want the project to raise awareness of Jazz music within the country as we believe that it does not have its true meaning and lacks followers due to this,” she said.