Supporting Livelihoods, Skills Development and Education through Traditional Music Project, Ainaro

This project had three related goals. It sought to provide sustainable rural livelihoods by providing training for young people in the making of traditional musical instruments and the development of an instrument production enterprise. It also sought to support Timorese cultural heritage by ensuring skills are passed between the older generations and young people. The third goal was the enrichment of education, through provision of instruments and professional development for teachers in the use of music in the classroom. The project brought together master craftsmen of traditional musical instruments, young people as the masters' trainees and schools and local community groups from Ainaro district.

Local NGO Haburas Timor implemented the project supported by volunteer community development practitioner Kate Owen.  Phase One occurred in 2012, where master instrument makers from five mountainous villages in Ainaro provided training in instrument making to young people from their district.  Phase Two of the project was completed in January 2013, where the purchase of the instruments made by the young people was made, their donation to schools and the delivery of professional development workshops in these schools so that teachers could use them in the classroom to support educational outcomes. Instruments were also be donated to community music groups for shared use. Australian musician Lina Andonovska visited several schools in Ainaro district, leading music workshops with MHI Director Kim Dunphy. Read more about this work here.

For support of Phase One of the project, we thank Deakin University; the U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste’s Small Grant Program; Ainaro Friendship groups from Ballarat and the Blue Mountains (Australia) and Madison (U.S.A), and; flautist Lina Andonovska and members of the public who donated to the project at the fundraising concert Lina organised.  Phase Two of the project was supported by Friends of Ballarat who fundraised through a music concernt to support the purchase of instruments for schools.

The Supporting Livelihoods, Skills Development and Education through Traditional Music Project is an outcome of a joint project between MHI and Deakin University investigating the future potential for arts, economic development and educational research projects in the district of Ainaro.