Tshwane School of Music gets a facelift

The Tshwane School of Music, along with the well-known musician and patron, Jonathan Butler, recently celebrated their new, refurbished building in Eersterust. The executive mayor of Tshwane, Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, formally dedicated and handed over the keys to the building in Eersterust. In September last year, when Butler visited the country to formally launch his foundation, he visited the building, which was barely more than a shell from which the school had been operating.

The Jonathan Butler Foundation exists to re-instill a sense of purpose in the youth, helping them to overcome some of the many societal challenges that face them on a daily basis. These challenges can often lead to a life of substance abuse, gangsterism, crime and other unsavoury methods to stem the boredom they experience as a result of nothing to do. This also leads to a loss of identity in who they are and questioning why they exist. While not in the country to witness the transformation first-hand, he has all the while followed the progress of the repairs with great interest.

“I am delighted that the Tshwane School of Music now has a proper institute from which it can carry out and continue the teaching of music and music therapy it has set out to do. Not only that, but the provision of bursaries from the Tshwane metro, funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and other supporters will now ensure that our music can reach more of our youth, keep them occupied, give them purpose and help them re-focus their energies on more positive pursuits,” an enthusiastic Jonathan Butler said.

The Tshwane School of Music (TSOM) has a vision to provide music education to a broad base of children and youth in the community of Eersterust and beyond. TSOM has produced remarkable results in a very short period of time. The target group is predominantly primary school children. Within a year, they managed to establish 14 small jazz ensembles, including the band Freeborn, who have regularly performed at concerts and even opened for Butler at his own concerts in 2013.

In the next two years, the TSOM will extend its offering to include the full capacity of 200 children and continue with its adult outreach programmes. Speaking from the heart, Ramokgopa said that TSOM had an even greater vision – to establish the Tshwane School Of Music as the first primary school of the arts.