By Newton Kalua
The fourth session of Director’s Merit Awards, held on 11 July, 2019 at Music Crossroads Academy (MCA), saw Gerald Chimbotoh scooping a Samsung Tablet phone for being the best student and Chapa Chapa band winning the best band award.
The MCA Students Prowess Competition, which started way back in 2018, among other objectives, seeks to; encourage creativity among students, motivate the students of the Academy to take their studies seriously and to improve individual prowess on playing their chosen instruments.
There were five bands competing, Chapa Chapa, Odala, Pentatonics, Group Four and Living Fire, and Chombotoh (the individual award winner) was picked by the jury in the process.
The band group secured themselves a record deal with Record for Life, a link with Ujeni Record label and free lunch for five days of their choice, whilst Chimbotoh got away with a brand new Samsung Galaxy Tablet.
In the rest of the group performance ranks Pentatonics finished second, Odala (from which Chimbotoh outshined all students) finished third, Group Four took the fourth rank and Living Fire occupied the last position.
Representing Chapa the champions, Emmanuel Banda explained how they managed to win, and also provided a tip to success in such competitions.
“At first we were the worst band and it was hard, but we sat down and discussed the aims of the Merit Awards and everything, and here we are now, the champions. After knowing our weaknesses we had a plan on how to perfect ourselves, for example we used to come to school earlier than other groups so that we practice before we get in class.”
“So what I would advise other groups that finished behind us is that they should construct a good communication channel for themselves and I challenge them things will be better, and next time they can be champions like us,” he emphasised.
On the other hand, in the individual category Chisomo Gondwe, Khumbo Mkandawire and Sam Phiri occupied the rest positions, respectively.
Reacting to the matter, Chimbotoh, the winner in the individual category, said: “I did not expect to win this award. I can say whatever God has planned really comes to pass. Honestly am very excited about this and I feel like words cannot fully express the feeling.”
The competition’s judges were some external members and the MCA lecturers themselves headed by Moses Shumba.
In his remarks on the performance of the students and where he feels there is need to improve, Shumba said: “this time around the competition was really good and we have seen that a lot of students have improved, and the areas which need fine tuning to me I can say is the seriousness. I feel like we have to introduce the habit to practice a lot.”
“But all in all I would say they (students) understand what they are doing, and what we have to do now is to internalise that so that it should be in their blood and as teachers we are happy that things we are teaching the students are being implemented, and they are taking the right track.”
The event was spiced up by the Smooth Groovers Band which comprises of a team of lecturers, Sam Shaba (an Afro-Jazz artist) and the MOVE Alumni Band.
