Since 1984, 52,000 children have been educated through the African Children’s Choir in conjunction with the Music for Life program. Nineteen of those children will give a special performance in July at a Knob Noster church.
African Children’s Choir No. 47 will present a free performance Wednesday, July 19 at His House of Bread church in Knob Noster. The event is hosted by the Knob Noster Ministerial Alliance.
On Thursday, Choir Tour Chaperone Keira Carnie spoke by phone with the Democrat about the upcoming performance and the children, ages 8 through 10, who will sing, dance and play instruments.
“It’s a free performance and we encourage anyone to come along,” said Carnie, a volunteer from the United Kingdom. “The songs that they sing is a real mix at the concert. They will sing traditional African worship songs, they also sing Gospel favorites. So, everybody can get up and dance and sing along.
“They also sing modern contemporary worship songs as well,” she added. “We’ve got traditional African dancing, we’ve got drums. All of our children play the drums. We have a drum ensemble and you’ll get to meet the children and learn a little bit more about them.
“But the key thing of the choir, that people take away is the joy, the spirits that they have, the energy that they have,” she noted. “People are always amazed at their energy.”
She said the children tell everyone their favorite thing about America is performing at the concerts.
“They love performing,” Carnie said. “They love meeting new people. We really encourage our audience to get involved.”
Music for Life is an international organization that promotes the African Children’s Choir. MFL manages schools across seven different African countries — Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.
“The African Children’s Choir is a branch of that organization,” Carnie said.
Carnie said she was delighted to be working with energetic 8- to 10-year-olds.
“They have taught me so much,” she added. “I think the key thing is, one they find joy and excitement in everything. Everyday there is something they are thankful for and they are excited for. But they live for the moment, they live for the day.
“In the Western world, I’m so fixed on what’s going to happen in the future, what’s going to happen next week, what’s going to happen month,” she said. “While for these kids back in Africa they don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So, they have to live for the moment. That’s what I’ve learned from them, to find the joy and the fun especially in each moment and in each day.”
After the children reach the age of 10 they are provided with additional opportunities. Carnie said once they return home, they attend the African Children’s Primary School. While there the children work toward education sponsorship and often go on to the university level.
“They will be mentored by the choir and the organization until they finish university or finish college,” she added. “The choir is just a small part of their life. The idea is their education gets paid for and they end up at the university. That’s the purpose of African Children’s Choir, that’s the purpose of Music for Life. It’s a small chunk of when they are touring around America, but the focus is on their education.”
There are two choirs touring, one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom. In the past the choir has performed with or for Mariah Carey, the Queen of England, Keith Urban, Josh Groban, Faith Hill and Steven Curtis Chapman, to name a few.
The African Children’s Choir will perform at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 at His House of Bread church, 209 E. McPherson in Knob Noster. For more information call the church at 660-687-9116 or visit africanchildrenschoir.com. The event is free.
