By Prudence Minayo
Joseph Kamata is the founder of Kamata Entertainment School in Nairobi. Before establishing the school, he was an entertainer and realized there was great potential in the industry. However, while many desired to have successful entertainment careers, they lacked the required skills. He set out to solve this problem by establishing an institutions that would train entertainers to equip them for the dynamic music industry.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Education and Music Background
Joseph pursued Economics and Sociology at the University of Nairobi. His passion for music started when he was young. He had also attended piano lessons while in high school. After university, he landed a job with an insurance provider which helped him raise capital to start his music school.
Kamata Music School
The school, which has offered training to over 6000 people, had very humble beginnings. Kamata was a lover of music and once he learnt to play the guitar, he taught others to do so as well.
He told Daily Nation that in 2009, armed with Sh20,000 in savings, he bought four guitars, at Sh3,500 each. With the help of his father, he got a Ksh10,000 a month place in Nairobi’s Central Business District. This spurred him to look for students.
Students
The search for learners would prove to be very difficult. Times were hard and he almost lost the premises but kept on going. It took him six months to get his first student.
The entrepreneur believes that there is a lot of money to be made in entertainment but many fail to prosper in the industry due to fixed mindset. He wanted to change this and that’s why he established the institution.
Training
Today, the school trains peopke from all works of life and from different age groups. They have worked with different corporations, offering DJs, live bands and various entertainment services. They have performed in various occasions including birthdays and weddings. The school attracts students from across Africa including Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Uganda, South Sudan, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo.
They have also trained some people from Asia and worked with clients from different parts of the world.
Alumni
One of their greatest achievements has been seeing their alumni go on to establish successful careers. The school has had opportunities to work with popular artists around Kenya including: Samawati band, Steve Rodgers, Kymo, Jimmy Gait, King Kaka, Ken wa Maria and Ben Githae.
Most of their courses take six months and include: music production and sound engineering, DJ, Voice lessons, piano lessons, and photography and videography. After going through their school, most of the students are in a position to play musical instruments, record and create music and software. Their learners also take entertainment management class and digital marketing.