Applications are now being accepted for the Winter 2024 session of the African American Mbira Project (AAMP).

Download your application

The mbira is a mystical form of music from Zimbabwe and is considered to have the power to provide comfort and healing to all who experience it.

The African American Mbira Project (AAMP) introduces, supports and perpetuates the music of the mbira within the African American community. Our intention is to increase the diversity of practitioners by centering the African American community.

Each registered participant will receive a mbira and be enrolled in regular instruction, either online for remote students, or in person for those residing in the Bay Area.

Our ten-week Spring Session will meet from February 10th through the week of April 15th.

How It Works

Your Instrument

The AAMP will provide each registered participant with an mbira. Though these mbira are the property of the AAMP, participants can keep their instruments for the duration of the time that they remain in the project. If a participant is no longer interested in the AAMP, they must agree to return the mbira. Students also have the option to purchase their instruments outright.

Participants will submit a small deposit for the use of their instrument. This amount will be refunded to the student once the mbira is returned to the AAMP, or can be used as a downpayment for the purchase of the instrument.

Upon our receipt of your application, each participant will be entered onto our Slack workspace. This is where you will gain access to your Zoom links for your classes, workshops and other special events, as well as announcements from us. It is also where you can be in touch with each other for the purpose of comparing notes or setting up your own practice sessions. A survey will then be taken to determine the best time for us to schedule your classes.

Tuition

Tuition for the AAMP is $150. This will include all classes (10 weekly meetings either in person or on Zoom @ $15 per class), Slack workspace activities and special presentations.

Schedule

Spring Session: February 10th - April 15th.
Ten meetings.

The African American Mbira Project (AAMP)

The mbira is a unique musical culture conceptualized by the Shona people of Zimbabwe. However, due to historical and systemic processes, mbira is one of the only forms of African music in the US to exist largely outside of the African American community. Therefore, our focus is to enable more African Americans to gain access to this tradition. By providing students with their own instrument and introducing them to classic mbira repertory.

Through a combination of online weekly group classes, special Cultural Enrichment Programs, individual support, and in-person events as the pandemic subsides, each member will be stewarded through practical hands-on experience with the instrument.

Members will also be introduced to the traditional mbira repertoire. Our ultimate goal is to foster a community of mbira enthusiasts who will also be the foundation for future generations of African American mbira players.

Please contact us for information about obtaining your instrument, project tuition and other details: africanamericanmbiraproject@gmail.com.

LEARN TO PLAY THE MUSIC OF THE ANCESTORS

Learn the tradition and technique of this ancient healing art, including how to play basic songs, how to lead, and how to follow. Through this practice you will also learn Shona singing, and be introduced to the Shona spiritual worldview.

Contact us for more information: info@mahea.com.



The DARE program is a production of the African American Mbira Project, an initiative to perpetuate the music and tradition of the mbira within the African American community of the US.

Learn about the DARE program

 

The African American Mbira Project has been made possible in part by a grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, in partnership with the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, the William and flora Hewlett Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and the California Endowment.