OCTOBER 27, 2026
By Mutyaba Emmanuel | Educate Brass Foundation | Western Uganda
Sometimes, a single opportunity can change the direction of someone’s life. For me, that opportunity came through a trombone.
After finishing primary school, I was uncertain whether I would ever continue my education. My family could barely afford the costs. My mother sold fruit to help us survive, while my father cultivated a small piece of land. I remember fetching water using my father’s old bicycle. Life was difficult, and continuing my education seemed almost impossible.
Then, a former teacher introduced me to a music instructor who offered me a chance that would change everything.
“If you can learn an instrument, I might be able to get you a scholarship,” he told me.
I chose the trombone and practised from morning until evening every day for a month. I knew this was more than a chance to learn music. It could be my only way to continue my education.
Eventually, I was awarded a full scholarship. From that moment, I never paid a single coin for my education.
Today, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Project Planning and Management. When I look back at how far I have come, I know that music gave me much more than the ability to play an instrument. It gave me an education, hope, and a future I once thought was beyond my reach.
That experience is the reason I founded Educate Brass Foundation.
I wanted other children, particularly those growing up in underserved rural communities, to have an opportunity like the one I received. I know what it feels like when poverty threatens to end a dream. I also know what can happen when someone decides to give you a chance.
When a TikTok Video Opened a New Door
Educate Brass Foundation began its work in Sheema District, western Uganda, where we provide brass music education, life-skills development, and educational support to underserved children and young people.
We are still growing. We have limited instruments, our training space is not ideal, and there is much more we need to do to strengthen our main centre.
Expanding to another location was not part of our immediate plans. We were already working hard to build a stronger foundation in Sheema.
Then, something unexpected happened.
A young brass player in Mbarara City came across a TikTok video showing our children learning to read music. He was surprised to see young children reading musical notes and playing brass instruments. He reached out to us, asking whether he could also have an opportunity to learn music and develop his talent.
His message stayed with me.
I began wondering how many other young people in Mbarara might have musical talent but lacked someone to guide them. Perhaps there were young people who wanted to learn but did not know where to begin. Perhaps all they needed was someone willing to give them a chance.
I asked whether we could bring together other interested learners and try to start something.
And that is how our Mbarara outreach began.
We did not have a large budget or everything we needed. To be honest, I did not know how far the idea would go. We simply decided to start with what we had and see what could grow from there.
As I met the learners and began teaching them, I started seeing promise. Their interest and willingness to learn gave me hope that this small beginning could become something meaningful.
The Kindness That Made It Possible
One of our biggest worries was finding a place to train.
Mbarara is a city, and renting a suitable space was not something we could easily afford. I wondered how we would manage to establish an outreach programme when our resources were already stretched.
I approached my a friend and explained what we wanted to do. To our great relief, he agreed to let us use his space free of charge for six months while we looked for a place we could sustain in the long term.
I cannot fully explain how grateful we were.
Something we feared might prevent the programme from starting was no longer an obstacle. Arthur’s kindness reminded me that sometimes, when you are trying to do something good for others, people are willing to stand beside you.
His support gave these young people somewhere to gather, learn, and begin developing their musical abilities.
It also reminded me that building opportunities for children and young people does not always begin with a large donation. Sometimes, it begins with someone sharing what they have.
Thirty Kilometres, Two Trom¬bones, and a Growing Dream
Some of the learners already had their own instruments. Educate Brass Foundation contributed three trumpets to help more young people participate.
Now, every Monday and Friday, I travel more than 30 kilometres to Mbarara carrying two trombones to teach the learners. Our sessions normally run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It takes time, effort, and resources to keep making these journeys. Yet when I think about how music changed my own life, I find a reason to continue.
I remember the young person I was after primary school, unsure whether I would ever have the opportunity to study further. I remember how much depended on that one chance to learn an instrument.
When I travel to Mbarara, I think about the possibility that one of these young people might also discover an opportunity that changes their future.
Our training space is also near a university, and some university students have expressed interest in joining us. This has been particularly encouraging. Music can provide young people with a meaningful activity alongside their studies, while allowing them to develop discipline, confidence, teamwork, and friendships.
We are still at the beginning, and there is much we need to learn. But what started with one message on TikTok is gradually becoming a community of people interested in learning music together.
Building Another Home for Music
My dream is for Mbarara to become another home of Educate Brass Foundation, just like our centre in Sheema.
I imagine a place where children and young people can come to learn instruments, receive guidance, make friends, and discover that their talents are worth developing.
I want it to be a place where someone who has never played a brass instrument can begin, where a young person can find encouragement, and where learners can experience the joy of making music together.
To reach that point, we will need more instruments, a suitable and sustainable training space, and people willing to support the growth of the programme. We are still working to strengthen our main centre in Sheema, so building a second centre will take patience, planning, and partnerships.
We do not have all the answers yet. We are building gradually, learning from experience, and trying to make responsible use of the resources available to us.
But I believe the young people who have already shown interest deserve the chance to see how far they can go.
Why I Keep Going
When I founded Educate Brass Foundation, I was thinking about children who might be facing the same uncertainty I experienced years ago.
I know that music alone cannot solve every challenge a child faces. But in my own life, it opened a door when I could not see another way forward.
That is why I find it difficult to ignore a young person who reaches out asking for an opportunity to learn.
The Mbarara outreach was not something we had planned for this stage of our growth. It began with a video, a message, and a willingness to try. Along the way, a friend offered us space, learners brought their enthusiasm, and we contributed the instruments and teaching time we could manage.
Each step has reminded me that meaningful change does not always begin with a perfect plan or abundant resources. Sometimes, it begins when someone sees a need and decides to respond.
I cannot yet say how far the Mbarara programme will go. But I know why we started, and I know what we hope to build.
Music gave me a chance when I needed one most. Through Educate Brass Foundation, I hope we can offer that same kind of opportunity to other young people.
And perhaps, one day, one of the learners who is now struggling to play their first notes will look back and realise that this was where their own journey began.
About Educate Brass Foundation: Educate Brass Foundation is a youth-led nonprofit organization based in Sheema District, western Uganda. It supports underserved children and young people through brass music education, life-skills development, and educational support.
Learn more at www.educatebrassfoundation.org.