Flautist, poet, vocal trickster and educator Keith Waithe is our latest Signatory of the Month.
Keith Waithe is the proud owner of Britain's largest flute collection - 175 flutes gathered from all around the world. For a musician whose work is based on bringing together different cultures, it's a great illustration of the universality of music. "Every country has its flute," he says.
Originally from Guyana, Keith came to England to continue his classical music studies and later explored music in India and Nigeria. The cross-cultural approach is one he thoroughly recommends. "One thing I tell students is that they should make the effort to litsen to and learn about different styles of music." He certainly practices what he preaches. Keith's own recordings take in influences from jazz, Indian, African, Caribbean music and more.
As well as a busy composing, performing and recording career, Keith runs arts education organisation Essequibo Music, a company of musicians and storytellers who have been working in schools around the country for the last year fours. Working mainly with children from Year 4-6, Essequibo's projects are based on the national curriculum, and children are encouraged to write their own stories which are illustrated with music from different cultures.
Keith feels strongly that projects need to be more than a one-off, so that musicians can really engage with students and teachers, and students can create their own work. "We need more practitioners, more musicians going into schools - there are so many amazing musicians out there," says Keith. However, he recognises that there are plenty of excellent instrumentalists with no teaching skills and he's been doing his bit to change that.
Keith recently led 12 final year musicians from the Purcell School in a series of workshops looking at strategies for working with large school groups, ideas for warm-ups and approaches to instrumental teaching. Yet the key skill, he believes, is being able to communicate your enthusiasm for your instrument and for music making.
Following the course, Keith, the Purcell students and a group from the Royal College of Music travelled to Uganda in November as part of The Commonwealth Resounds!, a project supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, which involved collaborating with local Ugandan musicians. With two Ugandan singers, two opera singers and range of Western and African instruments, it was a real cultural fusion.
"It was amazing bringing together talented people," says Keith. "You can bring together different cultures and you don't necessarily need a language [in common] to make music. It was tricky at first because you're asking them to forget their training. I'm also classically trained but I learnt new approaches to music-making through going to Africa, learning African rhythms and drums, learning about how to listen differently. So now I try and encourage people to do that."
The Uganda trip was a learning experience for Keith too. "Some of the young people, they walked five miles to get a meal, some clothing and some education. We met kids who are so enthusiastic about learning, they want to learn, they want to share, they're so enthusiastic about education. It was a humbling experience."
For more info: www.keithwaithe.com
www.commonwealthfoundation.com
Photographs © Martin Wess