The Music Sprouts is a musical programme run in Storms River Village by Michaela Gardner, who is teaching children to play the violin.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (28 February 2025) – Michaela Gardner loves her violin; it brings her a great deal of joy, and as a way to give back, she started teaching children interested in music how to play the classical instrument. Inspired to make a difference, Michaela and her wife, Chanel, founded the Music Sprouts Access Program in Storms River Village, teaching children one day a week for free.
The lessons take place at the church hall within the village. The programme provides any interested children in the community with access to music education free of charge. The musical duo funded the project themselves, and several villagers donated towards the running expenses, too.
“We started in Jan of 2024, and we already have over 60 children attending our main community class on Wednesday afternoons. Through commitment, dedication and passion, children can work their way up through the program.
Level 1 is the Community Class. If they show up consistently, have a good attitude, are respectful etc, then they are invited to join instrument group classes (at the moment, this is predominantly violin), which is Level 2, and finally, they can earn their spot on a sponsorship list.
Once sponsored, Level 3, they receive their own instrument and weekly private lessons. At the end of last year, we had 12 candidates who qualified for sponsorship and managed to find sponsors for all of them, which has been incredible.”
Michaela and Chanel have 11 violins plus other percussion instruments, which they take to classes each week. They transport the instruments by foot to town as their bicycles were stolen at the end of 2024, which was their only form of transportation for the programme.
They have a crowdfund on BackaBuddy, which is raising funds for Music Sprouts, which is raising funds for a dedicated space for the lessons. They have earmarked a space on their off-grid property which will be transformed into “The Access Cube”.
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“We really are in need of a dedicated space for the Music Sprouts. So we have begun a fundraiser for “The Access Cube”, which will be a small off grid building on our property to hold all our music classes, for any of the children to come and practice their instruments, as well as just have a safe space to even do their homework in the afternoons.
Down the road, The Access Cube will include a lot more than just music. We will teach the children about growing food, host skill building workshops and organize concerts. The idea is that it becomes a hub of activity for all the youth in the village.
The Access Cube Fundraiser is called The Square by Square initiative. For R500, anyone can sponsor a square to help build the Access Cube. People can of course, sponsor as many squares as they like. In doing so, they will received a certificate of sponsorship, regular updates on the program and invitations to any events or concerts we host.”
While funding is a big part of their needs, Michaela and Chanel welcome the donation of instruments, with violins being the most needed for the classes. If you would like to donate, you can find the BackaBuddy here, or you can reach out on Facebook to find out more here.
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What is the Music Sprouts Programme, and what are its main objectives?