Community Music School, Gran Jil (Grand Gilles)

Gran Jil is home to a community music school which also helps children with their education and professional skills.

Gran Jil is a section communale in the commune of Grand Riviere du Nord, with about 10,500 inhabitants. It is an environmentally rich community, with thick forests and 11 natural springs in the mountains. The community struggles with sanitation issues, but has put a lot of emphasis on educating its youth in recent years. 

One of those initiatives is about education: Gran Jil has a community music school which teaches children keyboard, guitar, and saxophone to children of all ages. They also use the space as a professional school (for instance, teaching young women how to sew) and as a study space (they make monitors available to young children to help them with their lessons). Part of the money for the school's functioning comes from the children and the community, and some of the financing comes from an outside supporter.