A fun way to keep your child occupied during the school holidays
Caroline Mwihaki performing at the Easter recital alongside her daughters .They play instruments ranging from Piano, violin ,flute and also sing as vocalists.
A brief reflection on your childhood. What were you doing at the age of 10?
Myself, probably playing the popular children's game of cha baba na mama.
However, this is now a thing of the past as parents are now investing in their children's skills, banking on them to bear fruit in the future.
Caroline Mwihaki , a mother of five daughters, has enrolled her girls in music classes and each is allowed to play an instrument of her choice.
"They play different instruments like piano, violin, flute and some are singers. We call ourselves the Mwihaki Girls. It has not been an easy journey to get here. I would say it was an investment I decided to make. My eldest is now 16 and plays her violin beautifully. I have seen her teaching her siblings and she is doing an amazing job. Who knows, in the future she may decide to take this up as a part-time job, get a scholarship to college or just go out on stage and serenade the world with beautiful melodies," said Ms Mwihaki.
Performing on stage, she says, has greatly improved their self-esteem. Remembering how shy they were when they started and now.
Parents are opting to go beyond the usual good grades in Kiswahili and maths for their children.
Some parents have opted for sports, others for music and playing instruments.
Ms Mwihaki and her daughters recently showcased their talents by performing at the Easter concert held in Nakuru, the mother and daughter collaboration of singing and playing instruments showed the beautiful journey they have taken together.
Siblings Delphine Wanjeri and Ernest Kamau, aged 13 and 16 respectively, are among the instrumentalists who also performed at the festival. Their duet on stage was epic for them, but they could not deny how nerve-wracking it was.
Siblings Delphine and Ernest playing violin on stage at Easter recital. They have been playing the instrument for two years.
Delphine, who started playing instruments with her brother two years ago, says that playing the violin and singing are everything to her.
"Music calms me down and I love doing it with my brother. It takes discipline to get good and to become a great instrumentalist. It also gives you the confidence to perform in front of an audience. Our plan is to grace international stages to perform and also enter competitions to test our skills," they say.
According to music teacher Joyce Ndinguri, who is also the organiser of the Easter concert, enrolling children in music classes at an early age helps them to develop their talents at an early age.
Once enrolled, students are allowed to try as many instruments as they can before settling on their favourite, this allows them to have a basic knowledge of several instruments.
"Music is a journey and it starts from basic and you can progress with time. I have been teaching music to children and adults for over 20 years and I would say that music has an impact on one's self esteem and therefore shapes a child's character in a positive way," said Ms Ndinguri.
She encouraged parents to consider having their children learn at least one instrument to give them additional skills beyond what is taught in the regular curriculum in some schools.