Kenyan musicians between the ages of 19 and 35 were invited to apply to the 1 Beat 13&14 music exchange program at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Applications must be submitted by September 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
In partnership with the New York-based music nonprofit Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation, the US State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs created the exchange program.It is requested of applicants to write about their musical background, interests, and upcoming plans. Additionally, applicants must include three to five samples of both their individual and group work (both audio and video are permitted).
The evaluation standards will include things like musical prowess, teamwork, social responsibility, age, and English fluency proficiency, country of origin and internet proficiency
“Musicians from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, with or without formal musical training. We welcome music of all genres, including but not limited to: traditional/folk, hip hop, experimental, electronic, jazz, classical, sound design, beat-making, multimedia art, or any combination of these styles. In addition to full-time professional musicians, we also invite adventurous musicians who double as community organizers, instrument builders, writers, videographers, musicologists, educators, storytellers, dancers, shadow-puppeteers, and more,” OneBeat said in regards to applicants’ eligibility.
OneBeat 13 & 14 will take place in spring 2024 & fall 2024; and applicants will be notified of the review panel decision by December 31, 2023.
“OneBeat is a music exchange and incubator for music-based social entrepreneurship, where innovative musicians from around the world launch collaborative projects designed to make a positive impact on local and global communities. OneBeat employs collaborative original music as a potent new form of cultural diplomacy,” reads the statement on OneBeat’s official website.
OneBeat bills itself as a meeting space for musical innovators of the twenty-first century. The project started as an annual residence and tour program centered in America that brought musicians from all over the world together to collaborate on songwriting, music production, and performance as well as create plans for arts-based civic and social participation.
“OneBeat provides a chance for musicians and artists from an incredible diversity of backgrounds to seek common ground, create new musical combinations, push the boundaries of music technology, and find ways to involve all members of society in the process of musical creativity. Produced and designed by the NYC-based arts organization Found Sound Nation, OneBeat endeavors to be the nexus of a new way of thinking about how music and artistic expression can help us collectively build healthier communities, prosperous societies, and a more peaceful world,” OneBeat further explained.
So far, OneBeat has worked with over 493 artistes from 68 countries and to the US Embassy’s announcement, a section of Kenyans already tagged and proposed the names of musicians they hoped would apply for the exchange programme. They included Boniface Kilundeezy, Depo Dice and Bueno.