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- Masi Violin Outreach offers free violin lessons to children in Masiphumelele, using music education to empower and uplift them.
- Led by community members and former students, the programme inspires confidence and provides a haven for young musicians.
- The initiative exposes children to new opportunities, encouraging dreams of global competition and careers in music.
"When I play the violin, the flow of the music just carries me. I don't know how, but when the music starts, and my ears hear it, I go with the flow," Lewis Nyambaya said.
The 12-year-old is a first-generation violinist. He is part of the Masi Violin Outreach, which is based in the Masiphumelele informal settlement, about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town.
The organisation provides free violin lessons to youth aged 6 to 16. Currently, 56 students are taught in five different groups based on age and skill.
"The programme takes you out of the streets, gives you something to do, and boosts your confidence," Onke Mbopha told News24.
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Mbopha is a violin teacher and mentor.
"They get to see you don't have to be a gangster. You don't have to drink to be a man. You can play the violin, and that doesn't make you a weak man. It shows that you're passionate about something."
The vision
Nadiah Mony, CEO of Masi Violin Outreach, fine-tuned the organisation's operations after inheriting the responsibility from founder Titia Blake.
Registering as an NPO helped Mony gather more funding, take on more students, and start a nutrition programme.
Mony's strategy is to involve community members in the programme and teach music theory to students in their home language.
"I think learning in Xhosa is so important. Learning the complex concepts in your mother tongue is much better."
Music as a calming influence
"I get to pass my knowledge on and bring light into the community. Now kids walk out of here confidently, with new friends, and look at us as family, more than their teachers," Mbopha told News24.
The instrument is changing lives one note at a time.
Twelve-year-old Nyambaya said:
My mind was not like this. I was a different person. Technically, the violin changed everything in my mind. Music changed how I used to be around people.
Music has broadened their horizons, exposing them to new possibilities.
Beyond the strings, the programme has allowed Nyambaya to see musicians outside of Masiphumelele.
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A field trip to the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town made a lasting impact.
"South African children are good at music! I thought we were the only people in Masiphumelele who do music, but when we went there! Wow! Shocked! Artscape is a very beautiful place. That day was the best day ever."
Mony told News24 that the outreach provided a haven for the children. They stay until the sun sets and they are forced to go home.
"This is a space where you can forget your worries. You can come and play music, be in this new space, and let your mind be transported."
