MBIRA Activities

The activities that MBIRA-the non-profit organization is involved with include:

1. Offer mbira instruction in the formats of private lessons, weekend intensive workshops and 8-day residential Mbira Camps.

2. Develop and catalog a library of recordings of traditional Shona music, and make these recordings available to the public through sales of recordings to universities and individuals. Proceeds of recordings sales go to the Zimbabwean musicians who performed on each recording ($12 go to the musicians, $8 to MBIRA's expenses).

3. Obtain mbiras from Zimbabwean instrument makers for students who need them to take MBIRA workshops. Proceeds go to the instrument maker (MBIRA now has a $60 mark-up which covers our expenses to ship the mbiras from Zimbabwe, tune and maintain them after arrival in the US, and do the bookkeeping).

4. Support US tours by Shona mbira players by organizing concerts and workshops and publicizing them. Sponsor tours by Shona mbira players, including visa sponsorship and soliciting targeted donations for this purpose.

5. Provide help to students traveling to Zimbabwe to study traditional music, including information on music teachers, lodging, transportation, etc.