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Meet Grace Chiundiza. Grace is a musician, songwriter, artist and writer. She left her homeland, Zimbabwe, as well as her family and everything that she had known from childhood, and came to Australia to Study Music and Music Therapy.
As a casestudy for her qualification in Music Therapy, Grace ran a trial day camp with children from a township/community on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe - an area that faces economic and social challenges including unstablefamilies/marriages, incest, young marriage age, large numbers of orphans and high unemployment rates. |
Across the two-week program, traditional play songs and instruments were used as a foundation for musical identity. Music techniques such as rhythm, call and response, song writing, singing and improvisation were key in engaging the children in a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationship to their community.
The outcomes of the camp were undeniable. There was discernible improvement in the children’s self-esteem, social behaviour, listening skills, turn taking ability, coherence as a group and personal expressions of joy and engagement.
The children participating in the camp were able to learn:
It is a moving testament to the power of music and arts to unlock creativity and provide valuable life skills to children as they progress in life.
See a short video of the kids enjoying some musical activities here.
The outcomes of the camp were undeniable. There was discernible improvement in the children’s self-esteem, social behaviour, listening skills, turn taking ability, coherence as a group and personal expressions of joy and engagement.
The children participating in the camp were able to learn:
- Turn taking: they learned how to work well with others and to be a good participant
- Listening to the others play a rhythmic idea on an instrument: they learned that everyone's ideas are also important as theirs
- Improvisation: they learned how to play an instrument differently and this enhances problem solving skills and taking risks, thus conquering fears
- Stopping on cue: learning to listen and obey instructions
- Songwriting & Singing: the process of songwriting helped unlock their creativity. It allowed them to see the wold in a new light, gave them hope and self-confidence. They learned that anything is possible. Singing helped them learn to communicate ideas and feelings in a different way.
- Music making with others: they learned to work as a team, be cooperative, better communication with others and to focus on doing as opposed to observing.
It is a moving testament to the power of music and arts to unlock creativity and provide valuable life skills to children as they progress in life.
See a short video of the kids enjoying some musical activities here.
So what now?
Following the success of her initial camp project, Grace plans to return to Zimbabwe in school holidays and run more camps for the children of disadvantaged parts of Harare. Gorgeous Gigs is proud to support the Kundayi Music & Arts Camp project, as both Linda and Naomi are convinced of the unifying and healing power of the arts in the lives of all peoples.
It costs approximately $65AUD to send a child to camp for two weeks, including the cost of lunch, transport to and from the camp and materials needed, as well as a contribution towards the cost of Grace's travel.
Grace is also hoping to provide t-shirts to all the children who attend camp.
What's the connection with Gorgeous Gigs?
In 2015, a chance meeting between Grace and Gorgeous Gigs' own Naomi Crain has resulted in a partnership to help get the 2015 Kundayi Music & Arts Camps underway. Naomi has been working alongside Grace to envision fundraising options to support this grass roots work in Zimbabwe.
Gorgeous Gigs will be hosting a Signature Event as a fundraiser for Kundayi on Feb 13th, 2016. For more information about this Gorgeous Gig, see our Upcoming Gigs page.
If you would like to make a personal donation to Kundayi Music & Arts Camp, please request donation information from kundayiartscamp@gracewellnessnetworks.com
To learn more about Grace and her work, please visit her website gracewellnessnetworks.com
Following the success of her initial camp project, Grace plans to return to Zimbabwe in school holidays and run more camps for the children of disadvantaged parts of Harare. Gorgeous Gigs is proud to support the Kundayi Music & Arts Camp project, as both Linda and Naomi are convinced of the unifying and healing power of the arts in the lives of all peoples.
It costs approximately $65AUD to send a child to camp for two weeks, including the cost of lunch, transport to and from the camp and materials needed, as well as a contribution towards the cost of Grace's travel.
Grace is also hoping to provide t-shirts to all the children who attend camp.
What's the connection with Gorgeous Gigs?
In 2015, a chance meeting between Grace and Gorgeous Gigs' own Naomi Crain has resulted in a partnership to help get the 2015 Kundayi Music & Arts Camps underway. Naomi has been working alongside Grace to envision fundraising options to support this grass roots work in Zimbabwe.
Gorgeous Gigs will be hosting a Signature Event as a fundraiser for Kundayi on Feb 13th, 2016. For more information about this Gorgeous Gig, see our Upcoming Gigs page.
If you would like to make a personal donation to Kundayi Music & Arts Camp, please request donation information from kundayiartscamp@gracewellnessnetworks.com
To learn more about Grace and her work, please visit her website gracewellnessnetworks.com
