YOUNGSTERS at the Alpha Institute on South Camp Road in Kingston will benefit from two projects designed to provide skills training and sustainable development for music education, which were launched Monday.

Both projects — the construction of a performance stage and a 100-foot walkway — were funded by Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, at a cost of $2.6 million.

According to executive director at the Sandals Foundation Heidi Clarke, the investment represents the foundation’s commitment to Jamaica’s culture and youth.

“Reggae music is really a representation of the true culture of Jamaica and it is also one of the key ways to engage young people who love music. Learning an instrument and understanding the essentials of music opens so many doors and we are extremely happy to be able to help build on that platform which can and has been the vehicle of change for so many youth,” said Clarke. She added that guitars, mouthpieces and multi-core audio mixing equipment were also donated.

Alpha School of Music administrator, Margaret Little Wilson, expressed gratitude for the projects.

“The combined support that Sandals Foundation has provided to renovate the entrance to Lennie Hibbert Hall and the wrap around pathway that leads to this installation is much more than a renovation. The support reflects that critical transition from school to work; that is the goal for every student at the Alpha School of Music,” she said.

Little Wilson also pointed out that the pathway, which connects the performance stage to the music classrooms and recording studio, is wheelchair-accessible.

Noting that the youngsters were not provided with a suitable area for performing arts, Little Wilson told the Jamaica Observer that: “This is history created; the fact that the boys used to be outside underneath the trees, there was no real practice space.”

Another aspect of the upgrading efforts by Sandals Foundation included the performance stage ‘Alpha Ska’ sculpture which was designed by artist Lisa Lindo.

The 20-foot tall installation, which depicts a young man playing a trombone, is a transformation of a 2012 artwork by the late visual artist Michael Thompson.

Lindo told the Observer that she was excited to see completion of the mild steel sculptural design which took six weeks.

“The work of Alpha is extremely important because it is committed to young men; I have sons. We all live in Jamaica where [some] young men struggle with leadership and good mentors and I have seen what music has done for my son…,” she said.

The Sisters of Mercy-sponsored institute, which was formerly called Alpha Boys’ School until 2014, was home to many top-ranking musicians such as Johnnie Osbourne, Don Drummond, and Tommy McCook.

In 2019, the Sandals Foundation constructed a restroom on the compound to accommodate more people interested in learning about its widely-respected musical legacy and social mission.