Music Funding

Funding Document

The St. Francis music school has taught at St Francis since 1982. The De Beers Chairman’s Fund initially funded it until the year 2002. However, as our own resources are very limited, we require financial assistance from without in order to maintain this valuable service to the local communities.

1. As this is mainly a community upliftment programme and it does not generate much in the form of income at this stage, the main reason we require funding, is to enable us to continue paying salaries to 5 qualified teachers which includes the project co – ordinator. Most of them give up their free time on a weekend at only half the rate they would normally receive for private tutoring. Most of them are from the UCT music school. A clerical assistant is also required to keep track of attendance, fees, instrument loans and photocopying etc.
   
   We have recently employed a new co-ordinator and hope that in the future we can put on more public performances and generate some income from these performances or possibly create more CDs etc.
   
   However, even if the above is not possible, we feel that the project will remain a valuable venture we should not terminate, simply because of it's lack of self sustainability. International surveys have proved that by directing peoples energies and talents into activities such as these the temptation and desire for further spreading crime and violence already so rife in our country, is greatly reduced.
   
2. In order to continue offering quality tuition to the learners, funding is also required for instruments. Learners cannot afford instruments like pianos, cellos and violins. From time to time instruments need repair, tuning and replacement, or additional instruments need to be purchased or built.
   
   Without instruments the project could not exist, no matter how good the training or infrastructure.
   
3. The learners could be given much more exposure an performing opportunities if it were not for the fact that most of them do not have easy access to transport, while many also lake the means to pay for such transport. For this reason it would be very good to have a vehicle of our own which could be made available for the music project and it's needs. On our own we can not afford this and would therefore appreciate financial assistance in acquiring a secondhand vehicle (ideally a Kombi or minibus). This would certainly enable us to more freely move various members of the music project around for public performances etc.
   
   The above is probably the only form of income that can be generated from a project such as the music project. The marimba band is well known and often in demand at public functions etc. However, until now this option has found little success, mainly as a result of the lack of transport. This is a real shame as the training has been very successful over the years, providing learners with the ability to perform in classical, jazz, african and voice. Training for the above styles have been provided both in theory and practical, as well as general performance skills.