Lion Mountain Studio is a community project initiated by members of Sydney’s Sierra Leone community. The project was devised to assist people from Sierra Leone and other African communities to gain access and training in music making and recording in an informal structure, with the long-term goal of building the capacity of the communities for creative expression in a computerised and online media environment.
To achieve this, the project focuses primarily on building technical skills in music production and recording through songwriting and music creation-based activities. The project has a training space provided through in kind support from Radio Skid Row, and aside from a coordinator and specialist presenters, the project is run by volunteer producers and engineers. The project is also supported by Metro Migrant Resource Centre, Marrickville Youth Resource Centre and MusicNSW.
Project participants often begin with a low level of computer literacy and the program seeks to build these skills along the way. Through the online release of music produced in the project, the participants have had the opportunity to tell their story to a wide and varied audience. Project participants have also identified their participation in the project as assisting greatly in improving their self esteem and mental health, as well as developing their technical and computer-based skills.
For more information on the project head to the project website.