Ballanta Academy of Music and the Performing Arts have on Sunday October 25, 2020 celebrated it 25 years of existence at the AYV auditorium at Wesley in Freetown.
To mark the occasion, different performers from the Academy: Emmanuel Bishop, a violist; Ibrahim S.Bangura, a flutist; band which sings in chapel style and sometimes accompanied by instruments named the Groove Colors and The Five Stars Brass, etc. displayed their skills.
In her statement, the principal of the Academy, Theodora Hamilton expressed her excitement in seeing the Academy which was established to develop Sierra Leonean’s cultures and arts has celebrated its 25 years existence.
Hamilton explained that the Academy was officially launched in October 20, 1995, by a group led by the late Logie Wright and Dr Kitty Fadlu Deen.
He added that the group named the Academy “Ballanta” after Professor Nicolas Ballanta (1893-1961 of blessed memory) who hailed from Kissy, Freetown.
She asserted that, Professor Nicolas Ballanta was a world renowned music composer, musicologist and musical thinker who has lot of productions which most are unpublished.
She further said that the academy was registered with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology as a Vocational Institution. She said, the academy is a company limited by guarantee without share.
She emphasized, “Ballanta is a nonprofit organization that operates under a Board of Directors and a Management team. The Board consists of 14 members and it supervises the management team.”
She said that the institution focuses on teaching and learning, adding that the Academy as an institution offers a unique form of learning in Sierra Leone.
She added that the Academy works hard to enrich musical talents in the country and provides an opportunity for professionals. She also emphasized that the Academy offers tuition in various music courses, and has been an examination centre for the Associated Board Royal School of Music in UK (ABRSM).
“Ballanta also offers Performing Arts which are not taught in various schools in the country. For most Sierra Leoneans, they did not see music and other performing arts education as important human endeavors. We try at Ballanta to bring these to the forefront and encourage them in learning and attaining qualifications in music and the performing arts,” she explained.
She said that the Academy works in partnership with many other organizations, and with churches and artists in the entertainment industry.
Hamilton said that the vision of Ballanta Academy is to be a place of development, promotion and research of West African music, providing first class tuitions in classical, modern and indigenous music for the people of Sierra Leone.
“Our mission is to exist and provide a centre for music education and entertainment of indigenous and international content through practice training and research to the people in Sierra Leone, thereby, providing a platform for nurturing talents to be internationally recognized,” she said.
She explained that, Ballanta Academy operates with funds generated mainly from tuition fees, fund raising events, donations from businesses, organizations at home and abroad, and subvention from the government of Sierra Leone.
A former student of the Academy, Inspector Francis Anthony , who is Director of the Sierra Leone Police Band, revealed that before setting out on further studies in Ghana to acquire his degree from the Methodist University College, he had started his journey in music at the Ballanta Academy of music where he attained grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 certificates in theory from the Association Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
“My whole life in music started at Ballanta Academy. I served for several years there attaining knowledge and skills in music. I studied a course in music ‘Band and Choral Director and many more before going to Ghana. Certificates which I got from the Academy helped me to enroll at the University in Ghana. All that I learnt from Ballanta I came across in my curricula at the University College in Ghana,” he said.
He described Ballanta Academy of Music as a real blessing to the country. “It has helped so many people that have realized their dreams across the nation. And here I am today, with a degree in music through the mentorship of the Academy,” he concluded.
Anthony encourages government to include music in the school curricula, as music can help develop once confident and expressions.
By Ibrahim S.Bangura
27/10/2020. ISSUE NO: 7938