Music lessons attract holidaymakers

The Uncle Biyiha Music Academy offers holiday music lessons for children and adults the past five years.

Music lessons for holiday makers continue to attract many Cameroonian families. For many, the holiday period offers opportunities to enable their children develop other talents which may be of help to them in future even if it is out of their field of studies.

Kome M. a worker in Yaounde, takes his 10-year old son to piano classes every day. He said he registered his child for piano classes when he was three years old. He said he wants his child to learn other skills so that he can be able to meet up with the needs of the changing world.

Musical Training Centres are fast becoming an attraction for many city dwellers. In some cases, the music lessons take place either in school compounds or in private homes depending on the proprietor. A typical example of a musical training centre is the Uncle Biyiha Music Academy.

The academy exists for the past 30 years from nursery to university levels while the holiday music classes exist for the past five years. In the Uncle Biyiha Music Academy, lessons are taught in both French and English. The children receive lessons on piano, guitar, singing and solfa notation.

The proprietor of Biyiha Music Academy, Uncle Biyiha said this year holiday classes will kick off on June 13, 2016, at the Colibi Primary School in the Obobogo neighbourhood.

He explained that the children have one week of rest after they have gone for holidays before music classes will begin. The music academy admits children from three years and above.

Registration fee stands at FCFA 10,000 and the programme will last for three months. Uncle Biyiha said his ambition is to create a musical group for children between 3-15 years. He further said he already has a group of

nine children who will go with him to international competitions probably next year. He said he is sure that the number will increase because more parents are interested. That, according to him will enable the children meet with other children who are in the music domain.

Uncle Biyaha said the problem facing the music academy is lack of support. He expressed hope that support will come from the government and well-wishers one day to help him develop talents in children and uplift the image of Cameroon in both the national and international scene.