Musicians for Ghana Youth Project
We are looking for four talented and enthusiastic music professionals to join our team in Accra, Ghana, and to provide life-changing musical opportunities to a group of young people living in extraordinary circumstances. If you'd like to use your music skills to make a difference, to empower and inspire young people in need, and to experience a unique culture and tradition, we would like to hear from you. For more information and for any queries, please get in touch.
Term:
Six months
January – June 2022
Or
July – December 2022
Compensation:
400 USD per month
Expenses:
Reimbursed with receipts: international flights, visa
Others (provided): accommodation, meals
Duties [musical]:
Instrument and theory lessons
Sectionals and group rehearsals
Direction of concerts and performances
Duties [non-musical]:
Language classes
Homework support
Support with other educational activities
Hours:
Approximately 20 hours per week
Essential Requirements
University degree or equivalent in music, music teaching or performance
Teaching experience
Performance experience (ensemble or solo)
English language (fluent)
Covid-19 Vaccination
Desired Attributes
Knowledge of ABRSM curriculum
Orchestra conducting
Volunteer experience in Africa and/or other parts of the world
Application procedure
To apply please submit a CV, cover letter, link to a video of a recent performance as well contact details of two referees to panos@keysofchange.org by 23:59 (UK time) on 15 November 2021. Interviews will be held via Skype or in person between 1-15 December 2021.
Employment Basis:
You will be hired as an independent contractor. As such, you will be responsible for all of your own personal tax and liability coverages. You will also be responsible for your own health and travel insurance, which is a necessary requirement for this post.
Work description:
Keys of Change USA, a charity registered in the USA, is looking for four enthusiastic music professionals to help expand our music programme in Ghana. This is a unique opportunity for qualified and experienced musicians to use their skills to make a huge positive difference to in the lives of a group of young and vulnerable music students living in a children’s home just outside Accra.
The work involves providing instrument lessons and music classes as well as holding rehearsals, which will lead up to public performances. The work will be conducted in English. The students live in at Kinder Paradise, a children’s home outside Accra, which provides shelter and support for vulnerable children. Most of these children come from extremely harsh backgrounds. The music activities form part of the support mechanism they receive, with the aim of sharing hope, encouragement and empowerment. It is envisioned that the selected music professionals will become, aside from music teachers, life coaches and role models for the Ghanaian students
Part of the teaching will involve teacher training others as teachers. Teacher training is something we feel is of utmost importance for the a music programme to survive through the years. If the circumstances allow us, it is our intent to have the music teachers in Ghana spend a portion of their time preparing the next generation of music teachers. This would become an invaluable tool particularly for the children from Kinder Paradise who want to develop a vocation which would help them to sustain themselves in the future.
The successful teacher candidates will gain invaluable performing, teaching and conducting experience, as well as organising a music camp. They will also have an exceptional opportunity to learn about a different culture.
Ghana is one of the most culturally and musically rich countries in the region. The combination of Afrobeat, Caribbean and Jazz styles is uniquely Ghanaian. This can be an incredible opportunity for the music professionals to expand their musical horizons.
The location of the work is at the campus of Kinder Paradise, our main partner in Ghana. Their target group are street children, children in acute need of care and shelter, orphans, children from extremely poor families in danger of becoming school drop-outs or already out of school, and children who are being rescued from human trafficking and hazardous child labour. The goal is the re-integration of orphans, vulnerable and street children into society. Kinder Paradise supports children and adolescents with a conducive home, care and education to achieve independence and social re-integration. Kinder Paradise, like us, believes music is an important tool for empowering children who are facing hardships.
Keys of Change USA has been working in Ghana since 2018. Following requests from local teachers, and in collaboration with the local charity Kinder Paradise, led by its German founder, Keys of Change USA began providing music lessons via skype in the summer of 2019. Subsequently, we planned a music camp for November 2019, involving the local students and a group of foreign teachers. This culminated in a public performance in the city of Accra and marked the founding of the Accra Youth Sinfonietta. In addition to presenting high level musical performances, our work in Ghana had a deeper impact: it enabled the young people to feel empowered while developing their leadership and collaboration skills as a part of the process.
Support for the musicians / structure – reporting procedure
The plan is to have two professional musicians serving together for a six month period followed by an additional two musicians serving for the next six months. The successful candidates will become part of an international community of musicians working with Keys of Change and they will work closely with the charity to develop the curriculum in Ghana, and plan the public performances. Keys of Change will provide all the support needed in terms of materials, books and instruments. Accommodation and meals will be provided at Kinder Paradise. Costs for international flights to and from Ghana will be covered by Keys of Change USA and the same applies for the visa costs (conditions apply). Progress will be closely monitored by Kinder Paradise and Keys of Change. The successful candidates will be responsible for maintaining close contact with the Keys of Change staff through weekly Skype meetings providing updates on the progress and collaborating to adjust the overall goals which will lead to a public performance, at the end of the term.
Aims of project at Kinder Paradise
Our intent is to provide opportunities for young people to find their inner voice, discovering their self-worth which will likely transform their lives. The majority of our students in Ghana come from extraordinary circumstances and live in the home as a result of abandonment, violence and drugs in the family environment. Our vision is to provide life changing opportunities to these young people from Ghana using music to show them their future can be brighter.
Our belief is that the heart of this transformation experience for the young people is an experience which leads to live performances. We want to have a musical camp which will serve as an invitation for young people involved in music to learn new repertoire, try work hard to improve themselves with the guidance of guest teachers and performers, and finally to share their music with their community. Performing on stage has proven to be the ultimate culmination of our music camp experience. It is a critical part of the developmental process and must be implemented in an inclusive and supportive manner. A public performance at the completion of the musical camps, is a critical metric for the assessment and future planning of the project; it is to be documented for those who follow.
Safeguarding
Successful candidates will be required to pass a background check and to comply with the charity’s child protection policies.