Malawi Gospel Music Project X - Concept Paper

Last week i promised to publish a concept paper for the project that we are running together with the youth of St James CCAP called Project X. Here is the paper. If you fill like helping us in any way please contact us using the details below. We welcome any type of help at this stage.


PROJECT – X CONCEPT

1.0 PROJECT SUMMARY

Project –X is an idea that came about to unearth, improve, and promote raw talent which God has invested in some members of the Youth Ministry. Through various means, we identify talented youths, bring them together and train them for a period to make them established and mature artist.

We believe that there are a lot of talented youths in our ministry who need to be guided and trained to use their talents in worshiping God and uplifting both their spiritual and physical lives.

Project – X desires to give a chance to every individual to become a complete artist. In order to achieve this, we plan to help the youth to compose, practice, and record their original composition. At the end of the first mission, we will compile an album comprising of songs from the artists. We also plan to shoot a DVD of these songs. To achieve this, we are engaging various professionals in this field.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

1. To unearth, improve, and promote raw music talent
2. To improve the quality of gospel music
3. To advise and train the youth in the areas of vocal production, stage setting and performance, studio work and all areas pertaining to music.
4. To conduct seminars and forums for the youth through some established professionals
5. To come up with an established record label for Young Christian music artists that will be modeled on established labels like Integrity Music and Hill song
6. To become an established group that will use various talents we have to reach out to young people in various learning institutions with the gospel

3.0 ACTIVITIES

In order to achieve objectives and attain our goals, we have outlined a number of activities and some are already underway like:
3.1 Auditions

We used a very mature way to identify fifteen youths whom we have started the project with. Emphasis was placed on the potential one has and musical talent he/ she has demonstrated. We treat music in general from composition to stage performance.

3.2 Training Sessions

We do meet every Friday and Sunday for practices which involves various aspects of music which covers a period of about five hours. Our training also involves lessons from various people who we invite to teach on given topics.

3.3 Studio Test

Occasionally, we do go to the studios to do some studio work with various producers to give an exposure to the artists about what to expect once we start full recording of our music. So far we have recorded one song.

3.4 Album/ DVD compilation

As the whole idea behind Project – X is to make all the fifteen youths complete solo artists, we plan to compile an album with contributions from all the artists involved in the project.

3.5 Talent Explosion Shows

One way to make the artist mature enough is to expose them to a larger audience. Project – X will organize shows together with other promoters and will also take time to attend other music show to be exposed to the bigger stages.

3.6 Seminars/forums/workshops

We organize music workshops to train the selected artists. These workshops also concentrates on some issues to do with what it means to be Christian music artist like how to handle fame, maintain a Christian life style. We invite established people for these clinics.

4.0 TIME FRAME

The project initially started in may 2011 and the first mission is expected to be completed by early October, 2011 with the release of the first compilation album.
Plans are also in place to make Project- X a fully fledged band in the near future funds permitting.
In the next 3-5 years, it is our desire to the artists who have gone through project- x making it big the music industry and also in the Christian circles as artists like being worship leaders and evangelists.

5.0 FUNDRAISING

For the first few months of the project start, some members within the project will contribute towards the running of the project. We plan to approach various people and organizations with this concept to seek sponsorship for the project and also to partner the project. Funds will be needed to organize training sessions, visits to learning institutions, studio sessions, music shows and production of the first compilation and DVD.

5.1 Funding or partnering Project-X

We seek to partner with any organization that will embrace our idea and we are ready to assist in promoting the organization in return. Ways of partnering may include:
• Offering advertising space in our DVDs, music album
• Organizing music shows in partnership with the organization
• Sponsorship of various activities being undertaken by project- X
• Releasing our team to do some assignments as per the partner’s request
• Being involved in production of promotional materials for the organization and its products

5.2 Other fundraising means

Through talent explosions, we plan to raise some of the funds needed to make Project – X a success. We also plan to be selling T-Shirts and conducting raffle draws in our shows. We also plan to sell our product at affordable prices in order for us to reach out to a larger audience.

6.0 MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Project – X is a brainchild of youths from St James C.C.A.P Youth ministry and is closely monitored by both the leadership of the youth grouping and the church leadership. Even though it is under an established youth ministry, our plan as project –X is to reach out to all young people of all faiths.
Project – X is being directed by Vincent Kumwenda with the full backing of St James Bible Class Youth Ministry’s music department.

Success of the project will be measured by the number of youths who will graduate having undergone trainings provided through the project and how they will be fairing as the main objective of the project is to shape these young people into accomplished solo artists. Apart from that, the quality of music and mature composition of songs and the holding of successful events by the Project will be anther check point.

One of the objectives of Project – X is to reach out to people in various learning institutions with message of salvation and Christian morals. We shall carry out a continuance evaluation of the success of these outreaches to see the impact of these on the youth we are reaching out to.

Project – X will also aim at bridging the gap that is in the gospel music community in terms of the quality of compositions and music being played in various quarters. Mature Praise and Worship music is our goal and that what we desire to present to the local and international audience as a whole.

7.0 CONCLUSION

We are driven by the passion we have for Christian music and for young talented Christians. This passion is enough to take us and the whole Project to greater heights. Project – X will create a big mark in the history of Christian music both in worship and evangelism. We are very determined to bring the success like that of Hillsong to Malawi and this part of Africa.

Contacts:

Project – X Coordinator.
C/o St James Bible Class Youth Ministry,
P.O. Box 58
Blantyre
Tel: +265 212 956 320 / +265 (0) 1 605 911
Email: vkumwenda@gmail.com/ cassiusndovie@gmail.com
Att: Vincent Kumwenda / Cassius Ndovie
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malawi gospel music project X

I have teamed up with some guys to come up with a project to train young Christians in singing gospel music. The project is called Project X and has 15 young men and women from St James CCAP Church in Zingwangwa.

I have grown to like music by the likes of Hillsongs of Australia, Don Moen and Micheal W Smith and i have always wanted to hear the same type of music played by my fellow Malawians. Unfortunately am not good at singing so i decided to team up with some guys to run this project. am mostly doing the administration part while Cassius Ndovie is concentrating on the technical part.

Project X is modelled after groups like Hillsongs and Integrity Music. We plan to train the guys to be individual artists both in singing and playing instruments. Since May we have been inviting various professionals to teach the youths some aspects of music. A sample of the songs they have managed to compose and record so far can be found and downloaded here

Funding

This ambitious project will require alot money and we are asking people who are willing to help us with this project to contact me and i will email them the Project X Concept Paper.

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A NATION OF DRUNKARDS?

You don’t have to be an expert to see how alcoholism is slowly taking root in the lives of Malawians. Many people all over the country are drinking like nobody’s business and the effect of this is slowly catching up with us.

Apart from the people who patronize bottle stores, bars and beer halls, a new form of beer drinking has emerged. The coming in (or is it successful marketing) of some spirits packed in 50ml sachets has shortened the distance to the bottle stores. Young men and grown ups alike have the freedom of drinking anywhere, in minibuses, schools, stadiums, etc. all you need is to buy a good number of sachets (Boss, Tyson, Raider, Powers) which are very cheap (K50/sachet).

I recently travelled in a minibus from Limbe to Thyolo. When we were starting off everyone was okay and we anticipated having a good trip. A few miles after taking off, the conductor produced beer sachets and started drinking and it did not take long for him to get drunk. Some people tried to reason with him not to be drinking whilst on duty but fellow passengers defended him claiming it was his right (these rights!!). For fear of arguing with people, I chose to be quiet and just watched as the events unfolded. By the time we reached Luchenza, we (including our mums and dads who were not there), have had our share of insults and threats. This is just one example of how alcoholism is affecting people’s day to day lives.

Things of this nature are also happening in the various offices all over the country. People are coming to work full of hangover and their performance is affected and in the long run it affects the development of our country. One wonders what the relevant authorities are doing about this. The funny thing is that this is happening in both the rural and urban areas. You will be amazed to find a person drunk at 7am in the village.

The faith community has not been spared either. Contrary to what the laws of particular churches are saying, you will still find its members in drinking joints. There is need to find a solution to this problem which is slowly taking shape in our country.

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We passed through the Blantyre Magistrate’s court.....

Suddenly the music got so loud that we managed to attract the attention of passersby. Everyone stopped. We danced to the various songs that emitted from the huge speakers while we sang along. Some youths broke into loud prayers whilst others had the courage to touch the walls of the courthouse.
That was how things were when we passed through the Blantyre Magistrates Court where the fate of two gays, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza will be decided Nyakwawa UsiwaUsiwa next week. Hundreds of Christian youths from various CCAP congregations in Blantyre City Presbytery marched around the city on Saturday, 27th March.
As believers, future leaders of both the state and the church, we made our position clear on various issues affecting the country and the world through songs, placards and messages. We centered on what the bible says on same sex marriages, immorality, justice, equal rights and many more.

The march was organized by the Youth Steering Committee of CCAP Blantyre City Presbytery and started at Mount Pleasant CCAP to Limbe CCAP through the Highway. The idea was to make noise for Christ, proclaim his greatness and pray for various things happening in the world.

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