Directory / Music and entertainment
Dhow Countries Music Academy
Music and entertainment · Stone Town
The music school in Vuga, Stone Town, and the best place on the island to hear taarab played properly rather than as a hotel backdrop.
Weekly concerts at the DCMA Culture Music Club are 15,000 TZS, about $7. The Midundo dhow cruise with live music is $30 a head, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They also teach: beginner to advanced, adults and youth, private lessons, and they supply musicians and DJs for events.
Worth knowing who they are: a non-profit, community organisation with around 80 students. Tuition is $30 a month and has not risen in ten years, and roughly 70 percent of students still cannot afford it, so those who are dedicated are taught free. Their groups perform across Tanzania and abroad.
Worth knowing: A school and a charity, not a venue chasing tourists. Concert nights are the easiest way in, and the money stays with the students.
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