PedalPoint Music Workshop to train prisoners in Ghana

Up and coming musicians in Accra, Ghana will get a chance to expand their skills at the fifth edition of the PedalPoint Music Workshop.

It is set to take place on Saturday 19 December at the Action Chapel International’s Judia Temple in Dansoman town.

The workshop, which is divided into seminar and training sessions, will offer vocal training and hands-on teaching of the following musical instruments: drums, bass, guitar, piano and keyboard.

“The event is open for everyone to attend - both secular and gospel musicians,” said organiser David Otchere, CEO of the Pedalpoint Music Institute. “However, most of our facilitators are professional musicians who have calved a niche in the music industry in Ghana and beyond.”

The facilitators include Victor Dey Jr, a jazz pianist who was named Best Instrumentalist at the Ghana Music Awards; David Kyei, a multiple prize-winning sound engineer and vocal coach; and Diana Hopeson, former vice-president of the Musicians Union of Ghana .

Themed ‘Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs’, part of the workshop is a special music training session for prison inmates.

According to Otchere, “We shall outdoor a social program called the 'efiase project' or prison project to help inmates with musical educational programs as our corporate social responsibility. The objective of the music workshop is to empower its participants technically and spiritually.”

Otchere added: “The prison project is an initiative that is designed to reach out and support the inmates as part of our corporate social responsibilities. The whole concept is to give back to our brothers and sisters in prison some kind of a hope so they also feel a sense of belonging in society. The help will be in cash donations and items as well as training on musical instruments to those who want to engage music as an art. This will be done with the chairman of the Ghana prisons Rev. Dr. Stephen Wengham.”

PedalPoint is a music institute that trains and unearth talents. The institute's goal is to teach and create a platform to develop music communication and language skills.