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Music Education Tour of Kenya, Uganda and USA > Programs in Uganda > Workshops >

Masooli Church

Located a few miles outside Kampala City, Masooli Church has one of the oldest church choirs in Uganda. Mr. Andrew Lubega, a pharmacist by profession, has been the choir director at Masooli since 1964. To strengthen the bond between Namirembe Cathedral, and Masooli Church, I was requested by the Namirembe Cathedral Choir secretary and Mr. Saulo Bulega to conduct a workshop at Masooli. On Sunday the 23rd of July, I visited Masooli Church and began the workshop with a performance on the newly installed Viscount electronic organ. After the performance, the choirmaster gave me a tour of the organist's residence, a project that is still in progress. Masooli is the first church in the history of Ugandan churches to construct a house for the organist. Mr. Lubega explained, "Since our dream is to establish a choir school we thought that it would be appropriate to establish a residence for the organist near the church. This will enable him/her to attend to the church duties such as teaching and monitoring young keyboard players and other music students. Although it is to be a modest residence, the house will be equipped with power to enable the organist to compose and practice at night." I later joined the choir of young and old men and women volunteers. The choir performed a psalm in the Luganda language and an anthem (for marriage ceremonies) composed by a Ugandan, the late Z. K.Matovu. Working with this choir, I focused on holding note values to their full length, avoiding dragging, and applying dynamics where they were not marked in a composition. After a tea break, I joined Edward Kato, one of the elementary piano students, to listen to some of the pieces he was working on. Although the piano was in terrible condition, he was able make beautiful music out of this instrument. The choir gave me two cassettes of their recent recording with organ accompaniment.