OLYMPIAS MUSIC FOUNDATION And AGBEKO
OMF and Agbeko release new interactive music app – AgbekoCreate
Leading Manchester music charity Olympias Music Foundation (OMF) and 11-piece afrobeat group Agbeko have collaborated with app company Peera to create AgbekoCreate, a free interactive music app launching on Android and iOS devices on 6th July. The app invites children aged 6-12+ from all over the world to explore music from specific areas of Africa, and dream up their own musical creations in response to videos created by members of the band. These ideas will form the basis of an exclusive digital performance by Agbeko which will be shared with participants and their families.
Each music video from Agbeko will explore a musical feature from a specific region, to exhibit the significant differences between the musics of neighbouring countries. The aim is to create a positive digital context where children are encouraged to explore a diverse range of musical styles at an early age. The project will also help to eliminate the ‘othering’ trends accidentally perpetuated by similar projects through the use of generic categories like ‘African’ and ‘World music’.
The children will be able to record their own musical ideas via video or audio recording in the app and upload their responses to the virtual portal over the space of the six-week project. Completing these tasks will unlock special bonus videos recorded in lockdown by Agbeko. On the project, Agbeko percussionist Pete Mitchell stresses the importance of the collaborative element of AgbekoCreate. “Collaboration and community are at the heart of the music we write, play and create together as a band, and wanted to be able to share our experiences with all of the young people from Manchester. We really believe in the work that OMF are doing across Manchester and wanted to be able to share the music that we've all learned about and love.”
OMF’s association with Agbeko began with a project based on the band’s album ‘Leaders of the Free World’, in collaboration with the People’s History Museum. This project has been positively adapted into a resource for educational purposes during Covid-19, with children encouraged to use their voices and household objects to create their instruments whilst in lockdown.
For more information about AgbekoCreate, visit www.
About the companies involved.
Described by Manchester Evening News as ‘Manchester’s most persuasive advert for a quixotic musical adventure’, Agbeko are an 11-piece Afrobeat-inspired outfit based in Manchester. The band have toured Italy, Malta, Bulgaria, Croatia and Austria, as well as upcoming performances in Belgium, France and Germany. Their album D.O.D is out now – www.agbeko.co.uk.
Olympias Music Foundation (OMF) are a charity based in Manchester who champion diversity in music. From providing violin lessons for children on free-school meals, to community choirs for vulnerable BAME women, OMF believes that everyone should be given the opportunity to participate in music. Since 2015, OMF has delivered over 1400 free music lessons to 200 children in Manchester, engaging hundreds more through workshops and performances. They are supported by Arts Council England, The National Lottery and Maingot Charitable Trust – www.olympiasmusicfoundation.
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