Music Industry Supports Funding of Program to Revive Music Education in Afghanistan

NAMM International, the global branch of NAMM, the trade association for the music products industry, today announced it will donate $5,000 to help reopen the only school of music in Kabul, Afghanistan. The once-flourishing school was closed during the country’s civil war, but now has the full support of the Afghani government to re-open.

The rebuilding of the school of music in Kabul will focus on vocational music training in order to not merely encourage a musical revival, but also create jobs for young musicians. The effort is the pilot program of ROAM or the Revival of Afghan Music project, which was designed in the Monash Asia Institute, Monash University, Australia. The program seeks the establishment of a vocational school of music in which talented Afghan orphans and other underprivileged children will be trained in Afghan traditional music, as well as Western music. A dormitory is attached to the school as a residence for the students.

Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, a professional Afghan musician and musicologist, designed and developed ROAM and its pilot program. The Ministry of Education of Afghanistan has appointed Dr. Sarmast, a son of the late Afghan composer, conductor and musician Ustad Sarmast, as Music Advisor and Project Coordinator to oversee and lead the rebuilding of vocational music education.

"Music is an important part of social and cultural life in Afghanistan—the Afghan people believe music is food for the soul," said Dr. Sarmast. "But traditional music has suffered over the last 30 years from a combination of factors including civil war and migration."

So far, ROAM’s pilot program has the support of the Ministry of Education, which has set aside land for the project. A renowned Australian architect has designed an environmentally sustainable building for the music school and its dormitory, which will house 300 orphans. Meanwhile, to speed the rebuilding of music education and enable key elements of the ROAM pilot project to begin right away, the Ministry of Education of the Afghanistan Government has vacated the former School of Fine Arts building and dedicated this to the music school. Modest refurbishments are currently underway to accommodate the teachers, instruments, texts and students.

Along with NAMM, the Australian Music Association is also working to assist the project, donating $1,000 to the cause and reaching out to its Members for help with instruments and financial support. In addition, ROAM has contacted a variety of aid agencies and other support organizations to help with funding in line with a modest budget that has been prepared for the first years of operation. Dr. Sarmast has identified a range of musical instruments, books, notations and training programs that the music school needs. He is now seeking funding or donations for these items.

“This is a compelling effort and a natural fit for NAMM because it’s what our industry is all about—freedom of human expression through music,” said Betty Heywood, NAMM director of international affairs. “We are happy to help bring music making back into the lives of Afghan children and believe that many of our Members will want to contribute to this cause by donating instruments or other needed items so that this music school can get off the ground.”

The program’s long-term objectives are to:

• Revive the livelihoods of ailing Afghan musicians
• Revive traditional musical forms and instruments
• Develop a national, vocational and tertiary music education policy
• Develop a new musical curriculum reflecting a wide range of local and global musical traditions.

Dr. Sarmast also hopes to revive and preserve the theoretical basis of Afghan classical music, re-introduce Western notation and music instruments. He is also keen to support the creation of a music broadcasting policy, establish a music archive, and find sustainable support for the Music Department of Kabul University.

“The school is the first priority in our overall project,” said Dr. Sarmast. “It aims to make music accessible to orphans while providing them with a secondary education, which is vital as part of our country’s rebuilding program.”

For more information about the Revival of Afghan Music project, interested parties can visit www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/roam/index.php

To donate to the Music School in Afghanistan, download forms at: www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/roam/support.php