Music professor leads cultural exchange

athy Robinson, assistant professor of music education at the Eastman School of Music, along with music teachers from the United States and Canada, will participate in a teaching and cultural exchange project in Kimberley, South Africa from July 7 through August 29.

Umcolo!, also known as the Kimberley Project, is a music education program originally sponsored jointly by the Eastman School and the Philadelphia Boys Choir. The project provides general and vocal musical experiences for South African children who attend schools with no formal music education program. Visiting music teachers gain the experience of teaching, living, and learning in an unfamiliar culture known for its indigenous musical traditions; teachers may also use the experience as credit hours towards their music program at Eastman.

The project began in 1996 and is currently headed by Robinson and Steven Fisher, associate music director of the newly launched Pennsylvania Boys Choir.

"Our teachers are very diverse in their background and experience," says Robinson. "That's one of the great things about the program--we have a number of opportunities to 'catch' people at various points in their careers."

Hailing from Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, and Ontario, the teachers have experiences ranging from elementary to collegiate, urban to suburban, vocal and instrumental, and include both a recent graduate and a teacher with 27 years of experience.

Umcolo! will work with two primary schools and one high school in Kimberley and will ultimately serve more than 2,300 children in the schools, community, and through local church choirs.

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