Young musicians showcase skills after Chorale de Kigali holiday training

By Elias Hakizimana.

About 60 young learners showcased their newly acquired music skills in Kigali on Friday evening, August 28, 2026,  as Chorale de Kigali (CDK) concluded a two-month holiday training programme aimed at nurturing the next generation of musicians.

The programme, which started on July 7, introduced children to basic music theory, solfège, singing, piano and other instruments, giving many of them their first structured experience in music.

At the closing event, participants performed before an audience, demonstrating progress made during the training.

Mireille Umwali Rugwizangoga, president of Chorale de Kigali, said most of the children had little or no prior knowledge of music when they joined the programme.

“Now all of them are able to play a piece of music. They can even read the basic music sheets. And they can also sing,” she said.

According to Rugwizangoga, the training initially focused on piano because it provides children with a foundation for understanding musical notes before they move on to instruments of their choice.

The organisers surveyed participants about their preferred instruments and later allowed them to begin exploring those instruments after mastering the piano basics.

The programme also encouraged parents to support continued practice at home, while children returning to secondary school were urged to join school choirs and music groups.

For Komeza Livin Ghislain, a student at College Saint André who will join Senior 2, learning to coordinate both hands on the piano was among the biggest challenges.

“When you are starting, your coordination is not yet very good, so sometimes you struggle. But with exercises and more practice, you become better,” he said.

Ghislain, who performed Dragonflies during the event, said he plans to continue practising piano at home and during school holidays.

“I really like it, and I will never give up on it,” he said.

Another participant, Impano Shekinah, a Senior 2 student at St. Mary’s High School Kiruhura, said the training helped her gain confidence despite having limited knowledge of piano when she started.

“When I came here, I did not know how to play the piano either. But now I have learned many things,” she said.

She encouraged other children interested in music not to be afraid to start learning.

Rugwizangoga said the programme’s benefits go beyond musical performance, arguing that music can help children develop concentration, creativity and confidence.

“Music helps the kids to develop their brain and it will help them to learn even their normal lessons and classes,” she said.

She added that music can also help children develop focus, which can benefit parents as they support their children’s development.

For CDK, the initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen music education and build a younger generation capable of carrying Rwanda’s choral and musical traditions forward.

Rugwizangoga said training children from an early age gives the organisation confidence that it can develop future singers and musicians who will contribute to the growth of music in Rwanda.

The two-month programme follows CDK’s launch of its first Music Summer School in July, which was designed to provide children with meaningful activities during the school holidays and lay a foundation for continued music education.

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