The Soweto Theatre has introduced its first Artist Residency programme and musician Gabisile Motuba is lucky number one.
The 30-year-old from Mamelodi in Tshwane will help young kids who are part of the Music Tutorial Programme (MTP), a junior orchestra that runs at the theatre in Jabulani, Soweto.
Her residency started in January and will run until June. The jazz graduate, vocalist, and composer spoke to SunBuzz about being the first facilitator to join the programme.
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“I pitched the project to the theatre. I’ve been in contact with Makhosazana Hlatshwayo, the youth and community development manager at Soweto Theatre for about two years. I worked with MTP once. We’d do workshops and other things. I then told her that I want to have a longer engagement with young people and have a programme where I can see them grow. She came to me and said she thinks it could work and this just made sense in the way I wanted to be part of the MTP as a facilitator, composer, musician and more. I want to help equip the junior orchestra with everything they need before stepping into the big world of music,” said the singer.
She said after her six-month residency, she hopes her students walk away with good music skills.
“From these months, I’d like the MTP students to know that music is multifaceted and has many skills that they can transfer into other disciplines.
“That’s the core of the residency for me, it’s what I’m trying to achieve,” she said.
