Ten different initiatives now make up the Sustainable Training and Development (T&D) Programme of the festival, the 14^th of its kind and a local and international music highlight.

Rashid Lombard, Festival director and CEO of leading event company espAfrika: “This Festival is now far more than just two days of music. We hold a variety of events and programmes that expand the love of music amongst the broader communities of Cape Town and develop musical talent and other skills in the South African music-entertainment industry.

The Sustainable Training and Development Programme for the 14^th Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) includes the following:

• ·         Gigs for Kids is an interactive show for pre-schoolers incorporating music, dance and drama that allows children to explore the sounds and rhythms of different musical instruments. This year, orphaned and previously disadvantaged children from two non-profit organisations – Lalela Project and Where Rainbows Meet – will enjoy this program

• ·         Arts and Culture Focus Schools: Performance and Rehearsals equips high school learners with relevant skills and knowledge in order to make a meaningful contribution to the Arts and Culture economy. It covers live performance and rehearsals as well as event management. Learners with an interest in both music and events have been chosen from ten different schools in the Cape Town city region and the programme runs in February and March this year.

• ·         Arts and Culture Focus Schools: Careers in Event Management sees event management professionals share their experience and knowledge with young learners in special workshops for developing careers in event management. The workshops cover basic technical principles, hospitality, logistics, health and safety, security, compliance and marketing. On completion of the programme, learners complete an assignment with the most promising learners then selected to work over the Festival weekend.

• ·         Intyholo Jazz Development Project is a workshop held in Gugulethu at the Ray Alexander Simons Memory Centre and is aimed at primary and high school learners. Its focus is on music performance, arrangement and composition, and the music industry. It is facilitated by the Berklee College of Music, Camillo Lombard and International Guest Musicians.

• ·         The Berklee College of Music in the USA uses the CTIJF to recruit candidates from Africa. Auditions and interviews for young musicians are held the week before the Festival begins. The College also offers a summer school scholarship to one of the Arts and Culture Focus Schools learners.

• ·         A five-day Photographic Workshop will give a select group of working photographers and photo-journalists access to the 2013 Jazz Fest performers both on and off stage. Participants enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to work under supervision as professional photographers with professional musicians and jazz aficionados. The workshop is facilitated by Peter McKenzie.

• ·         Facilitated by leading arts journalist Gwen Ansell, the Arts Journalism programme for qualified journalists, freelancer writers and journalism students is the longest running training initiative of the CTIJF. The week-long course is aligned to national journalism standards and ranked on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This means participants use the programme to build or add to a professional qualification. It has become one of the country’s leading initiatives in raising arts journalism standards.

• ·         The Music Business workshop develops business skills in the music industry. It also deals with changes in the industry, providing tools for up-and-coming business people to adapt and sustain their business. Hosted by Graeme Gilfillan, and various industry professionals, the course covers various essential music business, and cutting edge information.

• ·         Jazz Master Classes for established musicians concentrate on techniques and skills through various music dynamics, intermit discussions and interaction with Jazz Masters. The Classes are facilitated by Camillo Lombard and presented by local and international artists. International and South African jazz stars from this year’s line-up will also participate.

• ·         The Fusion Master Classes take the form of an informal panel discussion and an interactive platform for artists to share their professional and personal experiences with the public. The session covers a wide range of topics including album sales, instrumentation and technology, networking and more. Members of the audience can ask the panel questions about living and working as music professionals. Here too, artists performing at this year’s event will be involved.

The ‘Golf with a Cause Day’ is another empowerment highlight of the annual festival. The event is held in support of the Caddie Foundation and sees business and government leaders take to the course supported by some 60 individuals who are employed as caddies for the day. Four aspiring golfers will be selected from the group of caddies to play with the festival’s golfing patrons and ply their sporting skills amongst the high profile delegates. This year’s golf day is taking place on Thursday 4 April 2013.

The SABC will also sponsor four promising caddies from the Caddy Foundation at the CTIJF’s annual golf day.

Some of the success stories emanating from the CTIJF’s Sustainable Training and Development Programme initiative include 22 year old Thabo Mswela, an ex-convict from Langa in Cape Town, who joined the programme in 2000. He was recruited by the China Dyirha as part of the China crew. Thabo is now based in Norway as a production co-ordinator after being handpicked by the Norwegian Youth Organisation, the Change Makers. Mzwandile Mapolisa (29 years old) joined the CTIJF volunteer crew in 2001 and eventually participated in the skills development programme. Mzwandile currently is an Event Manager in Belgium. The 15 year old Sean Bratz from Alexander Sinton School in Athlone is a bass playing musician who attended the Focus Schools Workshops in 2011. He has been described by Berklee educators as a musical protégé.”  

For more information on this year’s event go to www.capetownjazzfest.com