About.The mission of Tunaweza Kimuziki is to reinforce the importance of organic music-making by encouraging music teachers and students to pursue their musical studies.
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Our HistoryIn March 2012, three musicians from Indiana University and one from Kenyatta University led the inaugural session of Tunaweza Kimuziki.
In May 2013, five musicians from Indiana University and The College of Wooster rejoined their counterparts in Kenya for a workshop, where the team taught and performed at venues including the Administration Police Band Academy, Nairobi School, Utawala Academy, St. James Primary School, Kenyatta University, and Moi University. Tunaweza Kimuziki welcomed Kenyatta University Choir Taifa Mziki to Ohio and Indiana in February 2014, and returned to Kenya in May 2014. |
Our Goal1) To promote interactions between team members and music students,
2) To encourage Kenyan-US cultural exchange, and 3) To lay the groundwork for long-term community building among our constituent music, education, and service groups. |
Our Team
Kim Carballo
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Olivier Huebscher
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Ernest Patrick Monte
Partner
Dr. Monte holds a PhD in Music from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, a Masters in Music Education, and a Bachelor of Education Arts (music), both from Kenyatta University in Kenya. Currently, he is a lecturer at Kabarak University School of Music and Performing Arts, where he teaches courses in Music Theory and Music Education.
His research interests are in music and politics, music education, musicology, music history and cultural studies. His previous publications have appeared in journals such as South African Music Studies (SAMUS), Social Dynamics and Critical African Studies.
Dr. Monte is a member of the South African Society for Research in Music (SASRIM) as well as the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA).
His research interests are in music and politics, music education, musicology, music history and cultural studies. His previous publications have appeared in journals such as South African Music Studies (SAMUS), Social Dynamics and Critical African Studies.
Dr. Monte is a member of the South African Society for Research in Music (SASRIM) as well as the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA).
Cleniece Owino
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Jon Peterson
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Wilson Shitandi
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Former Team Members
Jeffrey D. Gershman
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Diana Smith Nixon
Founding Member, Team 2013, 2012
Dr. Nixon is a performer, teacher, and scholar. She has performed in several orchestras, has soloed with David Baker’s big band at Indiana University, and is a regular guest artist at the Honeywell House, having played there with Dean Emeritus Charles Webb. As a teacher, she brings over twenty years of private music teaching experience to her students, including having taught at the DePauw University School of Music. She is an active clinician, giving performances and master classes at institutions at both pre-college and college levels, nationally and internationally. In addition to the United States, she has performed and given master classes in Costa Rica and Kenya. Recently, she was granted a Fulbright Specialist grant to promote the collaboration of leading U.S. academics and professionals with their counterparts overseas.
In addition to her musical talents, Dr. Nixon brings expertise in business, computer science, technology, and multimedia productions to the table; she earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Purdue University summa cum laude in 1987 and founded Catspaw Studios, a multimedia production company based in South Bend, Indiana, in 1993. She is certified in online teaching, and is a co-founder of the Nixon Room, a technological resource room in Wabash, Indiana. She teaches business computer courses at Ivy Tech Community College and has developed a hybrid in-person and online music school, Mpingo Studios (www.mpingostudios.com).
In addition to her musical talents, Dr. Nixon brings expertise in business, computer science, technology, and multimedia productions to the table; she earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Purdue University summa cum laude in 1987 and founded Catspaw Studios, a multimedia production company based in South Bend, Indiana, in 1993. She is certified in online teaching, and is a co-founder of the Nixon Room, a technological resource room in Wabash, Indiana. She teaches business computer courses at Ivy Tech Community College and has developed a hybrid in-person and online music school, Mpingo Studios (www.mpingostudios.com).
Elizabeth Nixon
Partner, Team 2013, 2012
Elizabeth Nixon is currently pursuing a B.A. in International Studies at the Indiana University School of Global and International Studies, with minors in African Studies, Swahili, Political Science, Non-profit Management, and Music. A section leader and soloist for the St. Charles Catholic Church choir in Bloomington, Ms. Nixon has also performed with the IU Opera & Ballet Theater, University Chorale, and University Singers. An active advocate for local music education and performance, Ms. Nixon has experience teaching flute, piano, and voice to younger members of the local community, and has primarily worked with the young musicians of St. James Primary School in Nairobi during the course of the Tunaweza Kimuziki program. She is also the able photographer and videographer for the TK team. Ms. Nixon is a recipient of the Edward L. Hutton International Experiences Program Grant, the IU Excellence Scholarship, the Elena Veach Award, and the Elizabeth O. Wooley Scholarship, and was selected last spring for the highly competitive Hutton Family Study Abroad Scholarship.
Andrew Pham
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Lisa Wong
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Community PartnersOur sincere gratitude to the groups that help make Tunaweza Kimuziki's work possible:
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