Background

Established in March 2005, the Kilu Music School is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is run as a non-profit institution and it is open to students of any age who want to have a better understanding of the language of music. Students are taught the essentials of music: they practice their music reading and writing skills; they improve their listening skills (click here to see the curriculum) and they learn how to play an instrument of their choice (click here to see the list of instruments that are currently taught) . Classes take place from monday to friday between 3:30pm and 7:30pm to accomodate children's normal school timings.

The Kilu music school adheres to the following principles:

•  Voluntary access : students join the Kilu Music School on a purely voluntary basis. The classes are in no way linked to the official schooling curriculum;

•  Open to all : anyone above the age of 6 can join the classes; access is not restricted to school-going youth. For each of the 6 levels, classes will soon be organized for three different age groups - young kids, adolescents and adults; for this to be possible, however, more teachers still need to be recruited/trained. For those below the age of 6, rhythmic classes are being provided.

•  Financial sustainability without financial barriers to access : in order to assure the financial sustainability of the school, students need to be charged an annual registration fee (click here to learn more about registration) ; a system of scholarships will soon be put in place, however, to guarantee access to those who can not afford this annual fee;

•  Reliance on Bhutanese teachers : at this initial stage, support from foreigners - both volunteers and employees - is still needed; in the longer run most classes should ideally be provided by properly trained Bhutanese music teachers (click here to learn more about the teachers);