Sira Traore, 11, a pre-grade piano student at the Ballanta Academy of Music and the Performing Art, has recently been certified with the Music Teachers’ Board (MTB) Piano Pre-Grade Higher Certificate at the Academy.
Sira is the first music student from Sierra Leone to seat to the Music Teachers Board and she scored merit.
Traore said that her enrollment at Ballanta made her to realize her dream as a musician, adding that she plays piano, had knowledge of beat, rhythm etc., which she never knew before.
“Ballanta is a very nice place. You learn good music. I am really proud to be at the academy for music. Tutors there are very nice; they can make you attain your set goals. They made the exam easier for me by providing me good lessons. In the examination I played pieces like: Hot Chili, Ping Pong and Do Re Mi,” she laments.
She encourages parents to support their children to learn music, because it could build an individual’s psycho motor, cognitive and effective learning skills.
According Traore, musical knowledge build one’s confidence, engenders a feeling of self-pride and appreciation from others. “When I play especially a piece that I have practiced I feel very excited,” Traore said.
According to MTB recommendations, Traore plays ‘Hot Chili’ confidently with good sense of rhythm and with accuracy. The board also commends that she has an excellent sense of rhythm.
The Music Teachers’ Board, (MTB) offer instrumental graded qualifications by teachers for teachers. It is a leading examination board in the UK that has been developing qualifications for several years. The Music exams are an invaluable tool for teachers by providing targets and motivation for their pupils. The exams are recorded in audio during the lesson by the teacher, submitted online and marked by specialist examiners.
By Ibrahim S. Bangura
12/10/2020. ISSUE NO: 7928