A scholarship programme initiative by the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will see Forty seven students who show outstanding talent in the ongoing Kenya Schools and Colleges Music Festival benefit from scholarships.

The scholarships will cater for the student’s tuition fees for one year and the students will also attain music training by the National Talents Academy.

In the announcement made by the Festival’s Executive Secretary Benson Abwao, the government will also offer a three weeks specialized music training in December to 100 students.

The Annual Music Festivals which are now in the 87th edition were instigated as a platform to showcase artistic skills and according to the organizers, the occasion plays a great role in nurturing talents as well as promoting national unity as the festivals brings together students from across the country.

The festivals are normally held every second term of the county’s school calendar year and each year the national event is held at a different county; last year Mombasa played host and this year its Nakuru county at Lions and Melvin Jones Schools.

TALENTS GET INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE DURING FESTIVAL

The best performances win a trophy and the much aspired privilege to perform to the president and selected guests at statehouse. The later platform gives participants a countrywide exposure and many are the times individuals have landed great life time opportunities thanks to their outstanding performances they showcase during the state house fete.

Some of the students who have landed great opportunities thanks to Music Festivals include Jimmy Wanjala who was known as the force to reckon with when it came to oral narratives all the way from high school in Friends School Kamusinga to college (East African School of Media) in 2008 at , where he was not just representing the institution as a participant but as a lead trainer of the entire team. Following his outstanding performances, Jimmy also managed to win a scholarship from the Australian government to study Scripting and Film in Australia.

A recent case that is certainly still fresh in the minds of Kenyans is that of the now popular Otonglo who also came to the public limelight thanks to talent. Even though the platform was not in Music Festivals but in the Drama Festivals that are normally held during the schools’ first term, the boy who came from a struggling poor family got a chance to meet the president and his life changed for the better. well, as a popular quote goes; “Talent hits a target no one else can hit.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer