E-Learning Classes For Safaricom Youth Orchestra Students

Safaricom Youth Orchestra students set for e-learning classes

Members of the Safaricom Youth Orchestra are set to receive music lessons through e-learning, following a handover of 4G enabled mobile handsets from Safaricom.

The over 80 students who make up the orchestra will now receive music instructions from home, with the first online class set for 16^th May 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the physical practice sessions.

The orchestra draws together 45% of its students from public schools, 30% from the Ghetto Classics program, and 25% from private schools with the aim of providing the necessary skill to become Kenya’s next generation of professional musicians.

Executive Director of Art of Music Foundation and Safaricom Youth Orchestra (SYO)
Manager Elizabeth Njoroge ( Right) hands over a mobile device to Dennis Ngige, a
Viola player at the Safaricom Youth Orchestra

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa said “We acknowledge the significant role that music plays in our daily lives, more so to the 10-17-year-old boys and girls who get the chance to play for the Safaricom Youth Orchestra. Being in the technology industry, we aim to bridge the divide brought about by the restriction of movement by enabling the students to get access to their music tutors through e-learning,”

Safaricom Youth Orchestra Manager Elizabeth Njoroge adding that “Interaction among students and with their music tutors goes a long way in shaping who they are. Not only are the students equipped with musical knowledge but the personal development and leadership skills necessary to inform their way of living. On behalf of the Orchestra, I wish to thank Safaricom for enabling the students to get back to class and for always supporting us since we started this transformative initiative,”