New Brass Music Internship Launches in Africa

A new partnership of sector support and educational organisations has joined forces to offer a new international professional development opportunity.

The collaboration is taking place between Brass for Africa, the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Brass Bands England (BBE), which between them have set up a new Brass Music Internship to be based in Kampala.

Brass for Africa is a charity founded over ten years ago, which supports young people in disadvantaged communities in Uganda, Rwanda and Liberia through providing brass music education and life-skills training.

The unique placement, which will begin in September 2021, will be offered to a recent graduate of RNCM. The position is currently open for application, including to those who are about to graduate this summer.

Jim Trott, Founder and Executive Director of Brass for Africa, said:

“We are delighted to offer this unparalleled opportunity for a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual to join our team in Uganda. Not only will the placement offer a unique chance to kickstart the career of one of the next generation of brass teachers but it will also hugely enhance the provision of higher-level teaching available to our participants in Kampala.”

The appointed Brass Music Intern will join the team for one year and will work closely with Brass for Africa’s Director of Music Education. Activity will involve teaching brass music to selected students as well as training Brass for Africa’s Uganda-based Music & Life-Skills Teachers. Together, the team will reach over one thousand participants across the year.

The successful applicant will also have the opportunity to develop their conducting and band management skills, and to perform in a variety of lively and unique settings.

Mike Kilroy, BBE Chairman, commented:

“BBE is very proud to support this partnership. It includes not only working with Brass for Africa, which is a big element of our corporate social responsibility, but also through working with RNCM to recruit and support the best of the next generation of Brass educators and support their development at the very beginning of their career means we are helping the people who will run, lead and support our member bands far into the future.”

The project had been funded by Brass for Africa along with donations from the RNCM Principals Circle, Brass Bands England’s monthly Brass for Brass competition and its Norman Jones Trust. There is also some fundraising requirements from the successful candidate, which will be fully supported by the project partners.

RNCM Principal, Linda Merrick, added:

“We are proud to offer our students exceptional professional and personal development opportunities during their studies and after graduation. This exciting internship with Brass for Africa is testament to that and I know that the successful applicant will gain a range of transferable skills that will prove invaluable to their career progression. I am very much looking forward to watching their journey unfold over the next 12 months.”

Applications from potential candidates can be made to David Thornton ([email protected]) and Nicholas Thompson ([email protected]) by 16 June 2021. Applications should include a CV and covering letter detailing why the applicant is suitable for the role.