This collaboration between Oroko Radio and the Nubuke Foundation brought together kids from the local community to learn about beats, sounds and music production tools. The workshop was taught by Rvdical the Kid, Øbed, Joey Turks and Revy Boadu.

Oroko Radio has launched a workshop series that seeks to engage children between the ages of 8 and 15 outside of the traditional classroom environment through music and technology. It was started to broaden the accessibility of the radio station and studio facilities, as well as engage varying segments of the local community.

Accra-based acclaimed producer Rvdical the Kid is one of the artists who headed the first workshop. “I didn’t know what to expect and even though I was fully prepared, I was pretty nervous as I had never taught kids before. But everything surprised me; the number of kids that showed up, their eagerness to learn and participate. They wanted to play with the equipment, make beats and fool around with sounds but when it was time for me to explain, they were very attentive. I would periodically give them pop quizzes on the names of the hardware and their answers showed they were really paying attention. It was very good to see how curious and focused they were.”

Solid teachers and sincerity

“It’s like these little flashes of consciousness that you carry into adulthood.” Rvdical thinks back at the piano lessons he took as a kid, and how it stuck with him until today. “It’s important to expose kids at a young age to something other than watching tv, things they wouldn’t necessarily come across. Even though it might not shape each kid in the biggest way, it shows them something new that might change the course of their lives. I’m sure at least one of them will try out making music in the future.” And it is precisely that mindset that shows how important it is to have solid teachers like Rvdical as part of the Oroko family.

When asking Rvdical why he decided to work with Oroko Radio, he has his answers ready. “First of all, because they are family. I love the sincerity of Oroko, they want to do things that impact the community. I love it when people who come into a new environment or country approach things in a genuine way, doing all this for the greater good and not for clout or commercial reasons.” This is a big part of what Rvdical stands for, so it's a very fitting match. “It’s also always been one of my dreams to be part of a radio station and to be able to impact the community with what I do. I didn’t have a specific influence or example growing up, so it’s a great feeling for me to be at this point in my career where I'm able to impact the community in a meaningful way. And Oroko Radio is the right channel for that.”

This workshop was a collaboration with Nubuke Foundation and Native Instruments.

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all our workshops and events!