Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Me and my colleagues from Birmingham Conservatoire have started a project called Arco. The Arco project aims to provide the benefits and life changing inspiration of music to children in the most deprived circumstances. Through music, we will act as role models for vulnerable youngsters living in poverty and crime stricken areas.

Over the next year, twenty-four selected students (six string quartets) from the Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music will participate in weekly instrumental Skype lessons given by teachers at Birmingham Conservatoire in addition to their music lessons in SA. They will also benefit from 1-2-1 mentoring and string quartet coaching, not currently offered at the centre. These lessons will be delivered by students and alumni of the Birmingham Conservatoire in a specially designated distance-learning suite.

Participants in Birmingham will gain valuable experience in teaching, chamber music coaching, technical videoing skills and a cultural awareness outwith their course requirements. Skills to inform their future careers in music.

Live event streaming of master classes, workshops and performances taking place within the Strings Department at Birmingham Conservatoire will provide a revelatory level of inspiration, international awareness and participation.

The year will conclude for the participants with a 10-day immersive ARCO festival hosted at the Cape Gate MIAGI Music Centre in Soweto, South Africa with Birmingham Conservatoire Musicians. A festival including concerts, classes, chamber music coaching, workshops and performance opportunities will take place.

The hope is that this project will provide a level of inspiration and education that is not readily available in South Africa, thereby encouraging young and talented musicians to aspire to the highest level of performance and instil a deep love of music.

We need to raise £30,000 to affect this exciting project to its full potential.

This includes money for instruments, live streaming equipment specific to this project, and the delivery of the ARCO festival at the Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa.

I am going to run the entire distance of the length of the South African coastline 1,739 miles (2,798km) by the time we depart for South Africa on the 25th June 2016. I started the challenge on the 19th September 2015 when Birmingham Conservatoire's academic year started. I hope to keep up my mileage until we leave!

Please donate and spread the word, words cannot explain how much any donation would mean to us all involved with Arco. This promises to be an inspiring project and hopefully will gain longevity into the future.

Alistair