Supporting 20 talented students to study music

As we kick off 2026, we are thrilled to reflect on the incredible growth and milestones achieved by our bursary students. This quarter, we want to take a moment to celebrate two exceptional individuals whose hard work and dedication to their musical craft have earned them the rewarding opportunity to support the music school as mentee teachers. They proudly join a faculty of over 15 talented educators, 90% of whom have developed their skills through the KMS Bursary Program.

As these students continue to grow in their craft, KMS is also excitedly preparing for auditions to welcome 20 new bursary students. We hope to have them enrolled by the end of 2026, furthering our mission to make music education accessible to talented young musicians. This endeavor reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering new talent and expanding opportunities within the community. Here’s to the bright future ahead for our students and the transformative power of music education!

Meet Maureen!

Instrument: Piano   

Maureen’s evident growth as a student and now mentee teacher is attributed to her commitment to her piano studies, regular practicing and attendance of lessons no matter the challenges. She is working on repertoire covering a range of skill along with technical exercises in scales and arpeggios plus Hanon finger exercises. Maureen is excitedly preparing for her next level ABRSM exams this year! Let’s wish her all the best!

Check Out Ian’s Progress!

Instrument: Trumpet

Ian is self-motivated and has a genuine love for learning and eager to tackle new material and consistently seeks out material beyond the assigned lesson. It’s no wonder that he has been embraced on the KMS Faculty as a Mentee Teacher!  Rather than sticking to comfortable exercises, he actively challenges himself to refine technique thus improving lip flexibility, expanding his upper register, or mastering articulation at faster tempos. His practice routine is disciplined and deliberate. When introduced to new repertoire or a difficult passage, he breaks it down independently and arrives prepared, often surpassing expected progress for the term. Ian is looking forward to doing his next level ABRSM exams this year. Let’s wish Ian goodluck in his diligent ambition for the year!

As we close the year at Kampala Music School, we  celebrate the journey of  all our bursary students that have poured their heart and effort into excelling as young musicians. But most of all, we are grateful for all our donors that have provided continual support in making music training affordable for those gifted students that are not able to afford it.

Meet Javan 

Instrument: Voice    Level: ABRSM Grade 7

Javan is a lyrical operatic tenor, with a vibrant resonant voice. He loves challenging himself with new things and is working on grade 8 repertoire. At the moment, he is concentrating on is on singing Foreign languages especially Italian and German. He is doing well on tik tok where he posts himself singing and also podcasts on how to help others in singing. He is a very active member of his church choir in Entebbe where he is the music director. He has taken part in many informal and formal concerts and has also performed at Kampala Music School events as a soloist. He is grateful for the opportunity he has to develop his gifts and also use them to bring to joy to others. His musical growth is very evident and he has bright shining future ahead of him if he continues with the same diligence. 

You can listen to Javan singing in one of his practice sessions here

Meet Ian

Instrument: Trumpet   Level: ABRSM Grade 4 - 6

Ian’s discipline, hard work and regular practice has kept him growing each day in his playing technique and his sight playing. Right now, he can proudly sight play a grade 4 piece perfectly with dynamics and the given articulation. Currently, Ian is working on Allan Vizzutti 20 dances for trumpet dances which are graded concert studies ranging from grade 6 to grade 7. And so far, he has managed to play 5 studies and interestingly worked on the Haydn trumpet concerto in E flat. He proudly showed off his great work to students at the Kampala Music School “Holiday Camp” to inspire them to take interest in learning trumpet  and other instruments. Ian is grateful for the opportunity afforded to him to not only grow himself but also inspire younger musicians in growing the musical discipline.

You can hear Ian playing an inspirational piece at the Kampala Music School Holiday Camp here

Meet Dan 

Instrument: Piano   Level: ABRSM grade 5

He is a hardworker and always curious about the possibility of exploring different musical styles. He is striving towards playing 6 of the new grade 5 pieces of 2025-2026 syllabus and so far he is working towards the 4th piece. Dan is proud of the improvement he has seen in his technique, sight playing  and his aural ability, and he  can recognize cadences perfectly. He is looking forward to starting on his theory grade 4 this term and is grateful for the support he is receiving in making sure he achieves this goal in 2026.

Meet Ruth 

Instrument: Piano      Level: Intermediate                                                                                                  

Ruth has made some improvements in her playing, and has such great potential as a pianist. She is setting new goals to help her maximise her potential and is determined to play 6 intermediate pieces from different musical styles, and is already onto piece no.2 of this ambitious goal. Ruth is thankful for the opportunity to work with great teachers that encourage her live out her dream of becoming a professional pianist.

Thank you, Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2026