Kronendal Music Academy

Hout Bay is a tragic microcosm of our South African society, and we have the opportunity for it to instead be a proof of concept: re-inventing the way we live and serve in a post pandemic world. We start with the child in the centre, the place where children belong; and our member organisations huddle around them, within easy reach, embracing them in ‘The Shine Community Hub’. 

This hub sees disparate organisations joining hands, sharing resources, reducing duplication, avoiding unintentional dependency - being ‘that’ village that it takes to raise a child. Our hub is magical, inspiring, safe, kind to the planet and kind to people. Our collective of NPOs work in harmony to nurture, comfort, encourage, educate, develop and, perhaps most importantly, listen and adapt to these children in its centre.  We listen equally closely to our investors and the UN's 2030 plan and SDG goals.

Together we plant, harvest and sell; we create, perform, earn and again, we reinvest. Participation, collaboration, cooperation sees the hub forming a self-sufficient ecosystem which creates enough to sustain itself and share. We then take this blueprint and recreate it again and again, planting communities in South Africa - and the world.

Our vision is that the children of our community grow into confident, thriving and employable citizens of the world. Our mission is to seek out every possible avenue to facilitate that growth, whilst using the magic of music to heal our children.

We prepare our young people to think out of the box, use innovation and improvisation to find creative solutions to challenges, and dig deep into their natural resilience.

Our methods instil emotional and cognitive skills which give our young people the edge in any interview situation, the resilience when dealing with life's setbacks and stresses, the skills to develop into leaders, and the opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty and raise their own children differently.

In a post-pandemic world, skills investment in communities is essential and KMA is committed to being the launch pad for our children, from which they can be their best. Investing in the child, the custodians of the plane, – this is our daily task, and music is just one channel.

Our goals for the future are to secure larger premises and be a part of a bigger picture working towards solutions for our community through collaboration and innovation.

In the poorest communities of South Africa, children are at critical risk of abuse, neglect and the temptation to engage in damaging behaviours in the hours after school before their parents or caregivers return home from work.

Every child should have a safe place to spend their afternoons, have a nourishing meal at least once a day, access to safe transport, trustworthy caregivers, and supportive adults who champion them and encourage them to build dreams and a future. The historically disadvantaged communities of Hout Bay are marginalised socially, economically and geographically. Poverty, unrest, gangsterism, drugs and other social ills are rife. The youth in these communities are the poorest of the poor, exposed to traumatic circumstances on a daily basis.

Based in Hout Bay, Cape Town, we serve impoverished youth from the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement (inhabitants +/- 30 000) and Hangberg fishing village (+/- 20 000). KMA offers a stimulating and safe after-school programme where friendship, laughter and encouragement thrive. Music is healing, and provides therapeutic respite for these youth at risk. Children are welcomed every day of the week, given safe transport from school and back home, a nourishing meal, schoolwork assistance and psycho-social support.

Hout Bay has a long history of socio and racial division and empty promises of improved conditions from Government.

With an increase in need and a decrease in resources available, we have to be really mindful that there is not duplication & that everyone is cared for, that everyone makes it to the table & everyone gets their fair share.

Donor fatigue places increased pressures on significant impact investment in relatively small communities like Hout Bay.

The ‘safe spaces’ of schools and after-school programmes were ripped away from our impoverished children in lockdown, leaving them exposed to increased trauma, loss and abuse. They are now exhibiting symptoms of PTSD and depression.

Food insecurity affects the health, social and economic situation of individuals and communities. 

Socially and racially integrated activities, and shared community venues build bridges and create opportunities to ‘pay-it-forward’.

Collaboration pools knowledge, expertise and capacity as well as resources in an otherwise stressed and fragmented sector, enabling greater impact.

Progressive, environmentally and socially conscious South African investors are directing capital towards high-impact projects with astounding results and returns.

Our hub offers the youth a comprehensive programme of engaging activities addresses healing and 21st century skills development, holistically.

We are a fully-fledged music school with some of the finest teachers in Cape Town, but we are also philanthropists with a sincere commitment to enabling children to live a better life. Structures provided by music lessons, mastering an instrument, and opportunities to perform on stage, help each child build discipline and confidence as they journey at their own pace. This has a knock-on effect on their development as young people fit for a future of collaborative partnerships in the world.

Whether they follow music as a career or not, we are confident that the life lessons instilled through our programme, will propel our graduates on their way to being future-fit citizens of the world. Our Zero Drop-out project provides school support and reading skills, assistance with high-school applications, and guidance through tertiary education application processes.

A child who has been supported, has found hope, and developed self-confidence, is less likely to drop out, and is more likely to have the drive and ambition to continue their studies and to build a better life for themselves.

We understand becoming independent is a priority and developing a growth mind-set enables essential 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking.