Words by Erin MacLeod—
If you are a reggae fan, you should know about Alpha Boys’ School. Run by the Sisters of Mercy, it’s been a refuge for disadvantaged youth for almost 150 years. It’s also been a wellspring of musical talent dating back to the 1950s, when Sister Mary Ignatius decided it would be good to bring contemporary tunes into music classes. This transformed Alpha Boys School into a musical powerhouse. We’ve written about Alpha here more than once!
Now, Alpha is working to revitalize its music programs, aiming to teach the youth about the music industry as well as musicianship. They’ve started a radio station that plays all-Alpha tunes 24/7. It’s pretty amazing how much music in Jamaica contains contributions from former Alpha boys. In the interest of continuing the legacy, Alpha has launched a Kickstarter. As there’s less than a week left, there’s real need for support. Here at LargeUp, we care about music from the Caribbean and we totally support this project. We think you should, too.
Check out a video explaining the project:
And then go here to back the project–if you can’t support yourself, please share, tweet, email!