Jamea J. Sale, PhD | February 16, 2023

I am Jamea J. Sale, PhD, Director of The Institute for Healthy Singing & Voice Research (IHS&VR), established as an educational outreach of the William Baker Choral Foundation in Roeland Park, Kansas. I with IHS&VR Fellows Christine Freeman, MME, and Niccole Williams, MME, guided by Greg Wegst, will take the institute's outreach to Kenya in March 2023.

In early 2022, Greg Wegst, a member of the Choral Foundation’s Board of Advisory and a supporter of Kenyan education efforts, brought the needs of the in Kapkemich, Kenya schools to the attention of ChoralFoundation.org. A lack of music education has roadblocked St. Anne’s Girl’s High School and the Kapkemich Primary School in obtaining full certification. The IHS&VR immediately began collecting donations of musical instruments and educational materials for the Kapkemich school children, and the first delivery of brass, wind, general classroom instruments, and several guitars is now on a three-month journey overseas. More will follow thanks to the generous efforts of community members.

Instrument Drive

Greg Wegst preparing the first shipment of instruments to travel.

The next project is to begin teacher training at the Kapkemich schools. Thus, the IHS&VR team is busy constructing music education materials and lessons for guiding a week of music experiences with students and educators during their Kenya travels.

Through the vision of Father Anthony Kiplagat, the St. Anne's boarding school was founded in 2015. It has grown to include a dormitory for nearly 300 girls, a library, and the Virginia Wright Healthcare Clinic. “Obtaining an education past primary school is a difficult path to follow [for Kenyan females], with obstacles that range from lack of financial assistance to deeply rooted cultural norms.”(2) I am thrilled to assist the St. Anne’s students in raising their singing voices while also amplifying their voices in the community through education. My research focuses on the development and appropriate training of the voices of adolescent women. The change of voice for adolescents boys and girls is a critical period in singing development. Historically, little attention has been devoted to the difficulties of female voice change, yet, educating girls that voice change is a normal and temporary event is important. Unfortunately, without such education, many adult females believe themselves to be non-singers. For this reason, I am particularly eager to interact with St. Anne’s, one of the few secondary education opportunities for girls in Kenya.

The Kenya 2023 Team, Christine, Niccole, Greg, and I will depart for Kenya on March 1-19, 2023. You can follow our progress here. ~ Dr. J

Citations:

1. Akala, B. (2019, November 7). Fixing policy isn’t enough to keep girls in school in Kenya and South Africa. Quartz. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://qz.com/africa/1742853/girls-still-face-education-barriers-in-kenya-and-south-africa

2. St. Anne’s girls school. Envision Kenya. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://envisionkenya.org/st-annes-girls-school/

3. Where We Are: Kenya. Africa. UN Women. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://africa.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/eastern-and-southern-africa/kenya