The Living Music Foundation is a project of passion based in Mbarara, Uganda. Having witnessed the transformative impact of music and performing arts on children in developing countries around the world, the founders of The Living Music Foundation believe that performing music provides children with self esteem, cultural pride, practical skills like commitment and discipline, and allows them to spread happiness.
The Living Music Foundation provides music lessons for children who are economically or socially challenged and/or lacking family and community support. Our project provides music lessons free of charge in our Mbarara center, as well as regular lessons in the home community for children and communities who do not currently have access or resources to lessons or equipment. We believe music lessons provide self-esteem and purpose, spread happiness in the community, and can create economic benefits for the musician.
Our Model
The Living Music Foundation’s music school provides fee paying lessons for students with economic means. This revenue allows the school to provide an equal number of free lessons to students without economic resources. In addition, we send our music teachers into challenged communities including slums, orphanages, local schools and children’s homes on a regular basis to provide music lessons and performances. Our projects generate funds from:
- Young Musician Sponsorship Program
- Volunteer Program
- Alumni, Volunteer and Community Donations
- Our partner, the GoAbroad Foundation
Our Board
The Living Music Foundation’s Board of Directors was developed to provide oversight, as well as international funding management for our projects.
- Disan Kato, Director & Founding Member
- Elsa Thomasma-Alingasa, Founding Member
- Troy Peden, Founding Member
Our History
The Living Music Foundation was born in 2017 as a result of a meeting between the founding board members, Disan, Troy, and Elsa. Troy Peden, known for being the founder of GoAbroad.com and several non-profit and volunteer based organizations, and Elsa Thomasma-Alingasa, the Director of the GoAbroad Foundation, visited Disan Kato in Uganda to deliver a much needed PA system for his band, The Vessels.
Here is what Troy had to say after their visit: “I have witnessed the transformative impact of music and performing arts on children in developing countries around the world. While visiting projects in Africa, I heard several people tell me ‘music saved my life’. In addition to the intrinsic rewards of learning music, these individuals in Uganda also found salvation in music by providing them with a greater purpose and economic benefits from performing. Disan Kato is the sole surviving child from a family of five devastated by HIV. Disan has used music to raise up others, including teaching and mentoring former street children and youth from the slums. His story was more than inspiring, and it immediately made us want to support developing projects that would allow Disan to share his passion and vision with children for years to come.”
In 2018, in partnership with the GoAbroad Foundation, Disan Kato created The Living Music Foundation, an NGO designed to sustainably spread music to children in challenging circumstances.
Here is a look at Disan Kato’s talent