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kenya been

You call this work?

Man…  4 months to go, and it feels like yesterday I was here with Zach..

I love living here, and I love teaching at Mt. Kenya Academy.  When you see the finish line, it makes one realize a lot of things.  A few of those things… how amazing this job is.  I wake up, and JUMP out of my mosquito net wrapped bed, I get to teach the most interesting and willing to learn kids.  Now that all of the students are so used to me, it’s great seeing how they’ll great me everyday.  How the little 6, 7 year olds will jump on me, punch, and kick me….in a good way.  Being able just to play basketball with the kids before my lessons at the Senior School, or jump in the pool, play soccer or rugby… where else are you going to get that!  I know if I was working at a public school back home, I would just be teaching till 3, then going home.  Plus the views from this school are breathtaking.  I mean… nestled in the Aberdare Mountains…?  Come on…

We’ll see what happens with programs and schools, but one option is to stay in Kenya, and possibly find a job in Nairobi..  the reason for this?  One plan I have is to stay in Nairobi teach music, but more importantly teach cello to Kenyans.  At the moment there aren’t really any cello teachers in Kenya.  I want to start cello in this country, and make the cello a thriving instrument… much like the “rock guitar” is in Kenya.  What better way to start, than in Nairobi.

Another option… is of course go back to school.  I am looking into University of Miami, and of course the big one…. the Abreu Fellowship, as part of the El Sistema program.   Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll have more on all of this.

But again… it’s going to be hard to leave this place, I have really grown attached, and who couldn’t be…. Sorry people.. I have the coolest job.  Tomorrow I get to go on a trip with Ashley Bryan a famous writer, his friends, to the Serena Mountain Lodge, where you can see wild animals from your hotel room.

  1. kenyabeen posted this

Photos are all taken by me, unless noted otherwise.


On June 5th, I leave to Nyeri, Kenya to be the string director at the Mt. Kenya Academy.

I love music, traveling, education, longboarding, photography and if I can do any of these together, sign me up.


Biography.

Andrew Kromholz born in New York started playing the cello at the age of 9. His teachers include Iris Winter, Maureen Hynes, and Dr. Mathias Wexler. He has been actively engaged in chamber music, by attending the C.W Post Chamber Music Program, and the New York Youth Chamber Music program. He has worked in masterclasses with celebrated musicians such as, The Shanghai String Quartet, Timothy Eddy, The Guarneri String Quartet, Ani and Ida Kavafian, Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet, and members of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble.

He began his undergraduate study at the Crane School of Music under the tutelage of Grammy Nominated Mathias Wexler. During that time Andrew has gone on to be a winner of the Crane School of Music Chamber Competition with a convincing performance of Schubert's Quintet in C Major for Two Cellos. His quartet was invited to play at the Governor's Inaugeration at the Governor's Mansion in Albany, New York. He was a member of the Crane Symphony Orchestra, String Ensemble, as well as the Crane Opera Ensemble.

Upon his recent graduation from the Crane School of Music, he has received his Bachelors of Music in Music Education, concentration in Cello. Since then, he has received his New York State teaching certification, K-12, and is a Center for Diversity Scholar.

Andrew is a former elementary strings teacher at 5 of the 6 Bethlehem Elementary Schools in Delmar, New York, teaching 4th and 5th grade strings.

Since then, he was chosen to be the string director at the Mount Kenya Academy in Nyeri, Kenya.

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