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PRAYER FOCUS

SEPTEMBER 2006

The School of Music and Worship (SMW) in Kathmandu, Nepal

Some observations about the school (from Nola Knouse):

The School of Music and Worship is a ministry of CAAN (Christian Arts Association of Nepal), and has been in existence for seven years.

The School of Music and Worship has four part-time teachers and two full-time staff members, and approximately 35 to 45 students, with an estimated capacity of 50 students. There are three terms, each with 52 hours of instruction; upon completion of each term the student receives a certificate of completion. Students receive 5 hours per week of instruction on their instrument and an hour a week of worship planning. Students can study violin, keyboard, drums or guitar.

More information about the School of Music and Worship is at www.caannepal.org.

Expressed Needs:

The school now has no accreditation, and the instructors expressed interest in exploring this.

The instructors expressed interest in more training for themselves, to help them do their job better and keep from burnout.

The instructors want the students to be able to read music well enough to sing pieces they don’t already know, using the printed music. They see this as a way of unifying the Christians throughout Nepal, as now many learn the same words but with different musical settings and therefore have trouble singing together.

The instructors want the students to be able to sing in four parts and to have some knowledge of Western music history.

The instructors expressed a need for scholarship assistance. Many churches in Nepal would like to send two or three students to the school but can hardly afford the fees for one (2000 Rupees per term, approximately $30.00).

The School of Music and Worship has no library of resources – CD’s to listen to, music history or theory texts and workbooks, sight-singing books, other printed music.          

Joe Mixon (East Hills) working with guitar students at the SMW in Kathmandu

Please pray for this vital ministry that is so important to the work of the Moravian Church in Nepal. Ask God how you can respond to some of the needs that have been mentioned. For more information on ways to support this ministry, contact the Board of World Mission.