From music student to academy manager
Thabo Ngoxo, a music enthusiast who joined Keiskamma Music Academy to cultivate his passion for music in high school, has risen up the ranks to become the academy’s operations manager.
At just 27, Ngoxo has gone from a young music student at the academy to a managerial position, leading the staff he once learnt from.
Ngoxo, now a Rhodes graduate, oversees the work done by the staff, while leading some of the members he started this journey with.
His responsibilities include hiring new staff and doing fundraising, among other things.
The artist, who hails from Hamburg, joined the academy when he was 20.
He grew up in Cape Town before relocating to Hamburg, where he picked up his musical interest.
“When I moved to Hamburg, I used to see music students attending music academy.
“My arts and culture teacher introduced them and encouraged everyone to join the academy. I then realised this was something I was passionate about.”
Ngoxo said music was not a calling but something he fell in love with over time.
“I wouldn’t view music as my calling. When you grow up you are encouraged by your family to take up popular careers like becoming a teacher, a doctor, lawyer and so forth.
“When I went to university, I wanted to do medicine but I could not get into mainstream medicine.
“I knew about a bridging course, which is what I did.
“I did a BSC and I realised medicine wasn’t what I wanted to do. I didn’t see myself at a hospital working with people in that way.
“I changed my degree into a Bachelor of Arts in music and psychology in 2016,” he said.
“For my second year at Rhodes I didn’t get funding, so I applied to work in Germany to do voluntary service.
“I was working in a youth centre where you can choose different topics to work on.
“I mostly chose discrimination because I was black and grew up in SA, where we had experienced apartheid.
“So, this was fitting very well with me.”
After completing his voluntary work, he came home to finish his studies and acquired his degree in 2020.
Ngoxo said his calling was to work with people, and working in different nonprofit organisations was one way of answering that calling.
“I always knew that helping people would be an important part of me when growing up.
“When I work for nonprofit organisations, I am not really encouraging children to go out there and seek a profession in music.
“I just encourage them to be more responsible and become better human beings.
“I have a number of children where I worked in Cathcart who looked up to me and wanted to be like me one day, not only in music but to have the kind of personality I have in other fields,” he said.
He added that when he applied for the operations manager job, he had no idea he was going to be the chosen candidate.
“I applied for the job a week before the application was going to be closed.
“I thought I had not got the position because some of the guys who are my friends and are at the academy said there were higher profiles and CVS than mine.
“When they called me and told me that I had the position I was extremely happy.
“I am extremely excited to be home. I did not expect it, I am happy to see familiar people and friends I went to school with,” he said.