The Rwanda School of Creative Art and Music in Muhanga District will soon have a high-tech music studio of international standards. The recording house will act as a practical lab for the music students at school and facilitate the production of Rwandan and international music. The studio will feature enough facilities to record live performances and accommodate large groups. Although he couldn’t disclose the studio’s budget, Jacques Murigande, the head of the institution, tells Weekender that the studio will be the best of its kind. “The studio will be able to compete at an international level, this will be an opportunity for Rwandan artistes to have their music produced with good quality,” he says. The studio will be made up of two parts- the control room and the performance hall. Murigande, also known as Mighty Popo, explained that the control room will have highly standardised instruments and the latest recording software. The performance hall will also be one of its kind, with a big stage that will be able to accommodate between 20 to 30 people simultaneously. According to him, the standards of the studio can only be found in South Africa on the continent, adding that the construction alone has cost them more than Rwf71, 000, 000. He also revealed that the reservation for the musical instruments has already been made, and that they are waiting for the construction processes to end and start their shipping. “We have already made reservations for the instruments and we hope that the studio will also enhance our financial capability, because we intend to profit from it,” he adds. Edward Theodore Riley, an American singer, songwriter and producer, who visited the studio recently, said that its standard is close to his back in the US. The studio’s construction is underway in partnership with the government of Rwanda through The Workforce Development Authority (WDA).
