Each one, teach one. About finding and raising one’s own voice.
The Inspirational Journey of Mookho B. Rankhala
"The first step was talking about it, the second writing about it. And now, I'm excited to see what else I can learn."
Mookho B. Rankhala, 30, a talented violist and music teacher, has come a long way. Born and raised in the townships of Bloemfontein, South Africa, she is about to complete her Master of Arts in Music Education in Bern, Switzerland. Her journey has been one of growth and inspiration, driven by the dream of being successful herself and creating opportunities for others. As she prepares to graduate, her ambition goes beyond her own achievements; she envisions a pathway for children from underprivileged backgrounds to receive an excellent music education, just like herself.
A Childhood Serenade: Discovering the Joy of Music
Mookho and her younger brother grew up in the vibrant but challenging environment of Bloemfontein. After her parents divorced when she was five years old, her mother, a nurse, became the sole guiding force in her life. Although Mookho initially wanted to become a doctor, her mother, who worked at a regional hospital and understood the harsh realities of the medical field in South Africa, advised her against it, “No, not in this country.” With that dream set aside, Mookho pursued electrical engineering instead, but destiny had a different melody planned for her.
Music was a constant in Mookho’s childhood. Her home was often filled with singing, as her mother, a classical singer in a local choir, would wake up on Sunday mornings and sing Handel. Inspired by this, Mookho joined the school choir and discovered her own joy of singing.
Her musical journey took an exciting turn during a school performance of the Mangaung String Program (MSP). “These kids looked like me, and I wanted to be like them,” she remembers, impressed by their unique style of music-making. Motivated by this experience, Mookho joined the MSP, a social music initiative founded by US contrabassist Peter Guy in Bloemfontein. Learn more about the MSP.
Strings of Opportunity: Joining the Mangaung String Program
At the age of ten, Mookho began playing the violin in one of the MSP orchestras, where lessons were conducted in large groups. "We knew we had to practice hard if we wanted to attend the Saturday orchestra. The faster you advance through music, the higher your chance of sitting and playing in the orchestra," Mookho recalls. This incentive system not only motivated the students to spend more time practicing, but also enabled them to receive individual lessons and gain spots in a higher-level orchestra — from the baby orchestra to the junior and, ultimately, to the prestigious Bochabela String Orchestra (BSO). As the program’s face to the world, BSO frequently participates in national and international music festivals.
Mastering the Viola: Mookho's Musical Revelation
Mookho fondly remembers the project visits of members from renown orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. “I felt like, oh my goodness, these people are here to hear me play. They’ve come to play with us!” In 2010, it was Mookho’s turn to go on her first European tour with the Bochabela String Orchestra. There, program founder Peter Guy received a viola for the MSP, and since he had to travel to the US, he entrusted Mookho to take the instrument back to South Africa. Once home, she couldn't resist playing it and fell in love with the instrument. Imagine Peter Guy's surprise when, upon his return, he was given a violin instead and asked Mookho to prove that she could play the viola. Impressed by her performance, he understood. “I finally found my instrument”, she smiles.
Around the same time, Klaus Christa, artistic director of Musik in der Pforte in Feldkirch, Austria, visited Bloemfontein to organize a concert and work with the students. During a solo session, he invited Mookho to study music with him in Austria. Though initially hesitant because of her plans to become an engineer, Mookho took a leap of faith. “Then things got chaotic for me,” she recalls. While waiting to complete the paperwork for Austria, she seized a prestigious opportunity in the USA, spending eight months gaining invaluable experience and learning from renowned teachers. “That was the first leg of my journey.”
Notes of Resilience: Overcoming Challenges in a New Environment
Fulfilling the Hilti Foundation’s scholarship as well as the music university’s criteria at the highest level, Mookho finally arrived in Feldkirch at the age of 20. She took on the challenge of learning German from scratch and pursued a bachelor’s in music education at the Landeskonservatorium Feldkirch (Stella since 2023). The transition was a challenge, especially being far from home, but Klaus Christa’s family became her anchor, helping her to adapt and find her voice in the new environment. “Coming from South Africa, I would never complain, so they encouraged me to speak up,” she recalls.
While in Austria, Mookho participated in numerous projects organized by the Hilti Foundation, which brought together young musicians from various social programs for concerts. She realized that many of her peers were also on journeys of self-discovery. “Meeting and interacting with them made me feel like I was coming alive,” she says.
Teaching with Heart: Mookho's Impactful Journey in Music Education
Once, she was invited to play and teach on a project in Sweden. While teaching a boy, suddenly, something changed: “I felt that for the first time I was standing securely on both of my feet!” Mookho went on to explain that she had been teaching and doing the right things before, but without having a connection to it. In that moment, she felt the need to understand exactly what the student was doing, who he was, and what story he wanted to tell with his music: "It made me grateful and eager to learn more about myself, to find myself." With the little boy in Sweden, she discovered her teacher's heart, and everything fell into place.
In 2020/21, Mookho participated in the pilot year of the Academy for Impact through Music’s (AIM) Firebird Fellowship teacher training program. She learned comprehensive educational tools for social-impact-oriented teaching and had her own group of students. As a teacher in Sweden, there were moments when Mookho felt lost and alone with her teaching experiences. But she had her fellow firebirds, who empathized with her encouraging her to try out teaching methods that went beyond music without fear of failure.
Workshops during the three weeks of Firebird Residency included singing, movement, improvisation, full orchestra and small creative ensemble work, plus topics such as action research, logic models and evidence tools.
Watching herself through videos and talking to a mentor about her teaching motivated her to think differently about herself, about bringing out her voice and her teaching to activate this attitude also in her students. All of this encouraged her to achieve a master’s degree in music education with a scholarship of the South African Hilti Empowerment Trust. The degree program she chose is the hardest in Switzerland and the most time-consuming in the whole region. But again, she met the university’s tough criteria.
Empowering Future Generations: Mookho's Vision for Social Change
Mookho is a passionate musician who deeply values the impact she can have on young people’s lives through music education. Having grown up in the AIM program, she says, “I really would like to pass on my AIM experiences to my colleagues, future generations of musicians, and teachers at MSP.” She’s committed to seeing the program succeed and is driven by the desire to give back more than she has received. Recognizing that few beneficiaries and professionals from social music programs are speaking out, Mookho is writing her master’s thesis on the impact of programs like AIM and MSP, hoping to inspire future teachers and develop actionable ideas. Mookho dreams of pursuing a PhD or doctorate in musical arts, and reflects, “I’ve found my voice, now I must use it,” aiming to use her talents and passion to help others find their voices through music education.
About Mookho
Name: Mookho Boitumelo Rankhala
Hometown: Bloemfontein, South Africa
Age: 30 years
Profession: Master student and music teacher.
Interests/Hobbies: When studying, teaching, and practicing music allow: traveling, reading, and cooking.
Favorite instrument: Viola
Favorite music piece: I'm inspired most by the concerts I get to be a part of that are not so traditional, like the one we had in Musik in der Pforte , combining the famous Requiem by W.A. Mozart with traditional funeral hymns from South Africa.
This person inspired me musically: Incredible minds that are always working and willing to try out things. Like Klaus Christa from Musik in der Pforte, Ron Davis, the founder of the Swedish social music program, and Fiona Cunningham from AIM, she's also a female role model in this world of music programs.
Dream job: A role I create, combining music performance, teaching, and designing social music programs to empower children through music.
What does music mean for me: It's become more than communication or a language of conveying message; it's transformative and becoming a social responsibility. It’s a tool to do the things I want to do. Things like giving back and engaging.
Mangaung String Program and its Bochabela String Orchestra
The Mangaung String Program (MSP) is a social music program launched in 1997 in Bloemfontein under the direction of Peter Guy, a professional American contrabass player.
One year later, Peter Guy started the Bochabela String Project. The public face of the program is made up of MSP's best high school and university students, with a repertoire that covers a wide range of music, from baroque to traditional and popular African music. The orchestra has made numerous appearances on South African television and at international music festivals, including regular performances in Austria and Belgium.