In a bustling school courtyard in Moshi, Tanzania, a small group of children eagerly run down a hallway to gather the instruments that they will need for their music lessons. Their faces light up with joy as they laugh and push each other, ignoring other children who pause to stare while walking to the next math class instead of playing with violins or clarinets.
A few top students at Majengo Primary School are selected through a summer program to explore instruments and elements of classical music, brought to them by volunteers from all over the United States. As they learn and explore through daily music classes, their schoolmates look through the open windows, singing and clapping along, finding a way to participate however they can.
For most of the Majengo students, this program is their first encounter with the vibrant world of western classical music. Even though the mpingo, the African blackwood tree native to Tanzania, is the source of wood for many of the world’s instruments, playing or even holding one of these expensive instruments is a rare experience for those in this area. This makes the students at Majengo some of the lucky few who ever get this opportunity.
In a culture rich with oral traditions, storytelling, and musicality, the lack of structured and accessible musical education creates a significant gap — a gap that is increasingly filled by the tireless efforts of international and in-country volunteers, including talented and dedicated individuals like Michael Boaz.
Boaz, a passionate advocate for music education and multi-instrumentalist, is part of a growing movement that looks to change the accessibility and narrative of music and conservation education in Tanzania. Along with growing organizations committed to this effort, he believes that introducing children to classical music and providing them with opportunities to explore passions can unlock their potential and creativity.
Boaz points out that familiarizing children with their environment and teaching them the importance of conservation will foster a sense of responsibility towards their opportunities and surroundings. “I started listening to music on YouTube and found my passion and love for it quickly. I listen to YouTube videos and everything I can with classical music,” he explained.
Dar es Salaam, where Boaz spent his childhood and where he has returned as an adult, “is a place where there aren’t any resources available allowing me to follow my passion in music,” and there are even fewer resources available for children to access an education in music. Although there are others pursuing these interests, finding and connecting with them is difficult without the necessary infrastructure. Fortunately, Boaz remained undaunted and, through his research, he miraculously connected with a small non-profit organization dedicated to his exact cause: The Daraja Music Initiative.
With emphasis on both music and conservation, the Daraja Music Initiative, founded in 2010, was created with the goal of raising awareness for the valuable and endangered mpingo tree.
Due to the tree’s slow growth rate and its appeal to smugglers, the mpingo is at risk for extinction. And, because of its importance to the construction of multiple musical instruments, the tree is very valuable and its protection is very important to artists around the world.
Clarinetist and founder of the program, Michele Von Haugg, discovered that many people living in Tanzania had no idea of the tree or the dangers it faces. As the program grew, she eventually joined forces with another program started by a violist professor, to create the program that exists today.
“Daraja” is the Swahili word for “bridge,” perfectly highlighting the program’s main goal of connecting the accessibility of music education, conservation knowledge, and cultural awareness. Today, the program’s volunteers are made up of a small but passionate group of classical musicians working to create this “bridge,” and the program has the exceptional Ian Tyson as its executive director.
Tyson is, during the year, a professor of clarinet at Vassar College, Special Music School, and Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Program. He has been making the 17-hour trip to Tanzania for ten years. Along with 10-20 people who come and volunteer throughout the summer, Tyson walks the one mile distance to Majengo Primary School each day, sometimes carrying heavy cases overflowing with musical instruments for his students.
Tyson’s dedication to running, participating in, and organizing the Daraja Music Initiative is seen and appreciated by both teachers and students alike. As interest in classical music continues to decline in the west, volunteers at Daraja are thrilled by the love and appreciation they receive from the students. One volunteer describes the experience as “refreshing and transformative,” reminding her of why she “fell in love with classical music in the first place.”
Boaz, who has seen a lasting impact on children participating, shared a story about a former violin student. Fraterin, who went through the program as a child, took a particular interest in music through the exposure provided, and ended up coming back to the program as an adult, teaching and volunteering for the same initiative that exposed him to the world of music.
Many other students from the Daraja Music Initiative have also pursued music in their adult lives, recognizing the importance of classical music education for the country’s youth. A 2024 volunteer, Japhet, returned to Daraja to aid in music lessons years after being a student of Tyson’s in the program.
Fraterin and Japhet’s stories demonstrate the organization’s mission and some of the impact that the program has had over the past fourteen years. These are just a few examples of how the work done at Daraja is creating a substantial impact, and the reactions of the children who partake in this program are very telling of how transformative and beneficial this experience was.
Along with regularly teaching music and conservation lessons at Majengo Primary School in Moshi, the Daraja Music Initiative collaborates with other establishments to spread this education to as many people as possible.
In July 2024, Daraja Music Initiative collaborated with the Courage Worldwide organization, a program that helps child trafficking victims recover from their trauma and cultivate their personal interests. Volunteers performing at Courage’s Cafe and one of their safehouses brought classical music to the young people protected by the organization.
Additionally, volunteers planted mpingo trees at several different schools around Moshi, along with teaching a lesson on musical instruments and performing for the students. Having never experienced anything like this before, students had a multitude of positive emotions. They were extremely engaged during the lesson, and were receptive to and grateful for the experience. During the performance of the national anthem of Tanzania, “Mungu Ibariki Afrika,” students excitedly sang along.
The organization’s mission was visible through volunteers picking up some Swahili to communicate better, explaining how to plant and care for the trees in order to take care of the environment, and connecting the national anthem to the new experience of classical music. The aim is to celebrate culture through being involved in the program, connecting students to their heritage while educating them about their environment.
The success of the Daraja Music Initiative has empowered Boaz to create his own organization back in Dar es Salaam: Music for Hope Tanzania, which focuses on the positive effects of music on mental health and the development of children. Boaz explains that music can create skills that would be useful as an adult and give children a previously unexplored outlet to express themselves.
As children in Moshi and Dar es Salaam continue to discover music through these important programs, the benefits seen from spreading classical music worldwide are proven. Through the hard work of passionate volunteers, these programs are not only teaching children to play instruments, but are also nurturing a love for all music and a connection with the environment that will provide the resources necessary for music and the mpingo tree to thrive.
Through the hard work of passionate volunteers, these programs are not only teaching children to play instruments, but are also nurturing a love for all music and a connection with the environment that will provide the resources necessary for music and the mpingo tree to thrive.