Colour Charts Victoria Baker profiles the work of the African and Caribbean Music Circuit and asks whether the music education world is inherently racist Traditionally, music lessons have benefited pupils who are white, wealthy and classically trained. For students who don't know a treble clef from a quaver, music lessons can be alien territory and potentially a very isolating experience. Incorporating music and children from non-European backgrounds into the mix seems to complicate things further. But as the African and Caribbean Music Circuit (ACMC) demonstrates, this can be a vital tool in engaging learners from all backgrounds.

The London-based ACMC aims to address issues of awareness and representation of black music in the UK and Ireland . As an Arts Council England-funded project, its brief is to raise standards in, and the quality of awareness of, music from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America – through tours, services, and the provision of education and training activities.

‘Keeping Black Music Live' is its mantra and promoting its artists occupies much of its time and resources. Currently it's heavily involved in promoting touring artists for the season, which it brings to these shores from countries such as Ghana , South Africa , Barbados and Cuba . ‘It's important that all music is kept live, not just African and Caribbean,' says Rajan Cooper, who has managed the ACMC for three years. ‘Live music is under-appreciated and under-promoted and this is a phenomenon which has spread throughout the West.

It's starting to happen in Africa too as people would rather listen to recorded music as it's cheaper and more convenient than going to see a live band.'

The music circuit was established in 1989 at a time when live music scenes were beginning to wane in the UK . Charles Eastmon is the circuit's creative director and has led the organisation since 1994. He says that the 1990s were a tough time for live music. ‘DJs are cheaper for venue proprietors and so they became the superstars of the 90s. Our objective was to keep black musicians playing instruments. Things are improving for live music but it will never be as strong as the 70s scene.' The circuit has built a solid reputation over the years, and relationships with more than 150 venues, many in multicultural cities but also in areas which Eastmon describes as being 100 per cent white: ‘Wherever we are, our artists always receive a good reception, no matter what the racial mix of the area.'

The circuit is currently reviewing its educational programme and has suspended its summer school courses. ‘What does Afro-Caribbean music mean?' says Cooper. ‘Are we talking about Bob Marley, reggae or calypso? It's difficult for people to know and we need to be clearer about what we as the ACMC represent.' The ACMC is to unveil its revised educational programme at the end of the summer when it will have a new full-time educational officer in post.

The ACMC's courses, in the main, are aimed at children under 13 and characteristically, it designs stimulating and very interactive programmes. One of the most enthusiastically received projects is the carnival course. Children design and make an aspect of the carnival and at the end of the project they stage their own carnival procession. ‘We recently took this course to a school in Plymouth and worked with children who have difficult backgrounds. At the end of the two weeks they were in tears, they'd become so involved they didn't want us to leave,' says Eastmon proudly. ‘The concept of play is inhibited in the western world with all kinds of dos and don'ts and often kids don't know how to make music because we don't allow them to make a noise.'

The guiding principles for the ACMC's educational policy will remain a constant, however. It will continue to influence the UK 's attitude to black music by providing community workshops and courses for schools and private enterprises. ‘We feel we're qualified to improve race relations in this country,' says Eastmon, ‘We do whatever we can to show African, Caribbean and Latin American culture in a positive light and in doing so we counter the stereotypes that these countries are just needy and poor.'

The priority for the educational programme portfolio is the Training the Trainers course, which the ACMC is developing with Goldsmiths College . ‘We employ a lot of musicians as tutors but they're not teachers, so this will give them training and an accredited qualification,' says Eastmon. We're also looking to develop courses which can be repeated and used by others, on African drumming for example.' Working with partner organisations is also a key area for development and will enable the ACMC to carry out projects on a long term and larger scale. Currently much of the work is focused on inner London boroughs but developing and outsourcing courses will make their educational arm more available nationally and perhaps even internationally.

One of the ACMC's continued strengths is that its courses are very inclusive and don't simply aspire to appeal to people of African and Caribbean heritage; they aim to reach out to people of all backgrounds and encourage| an enjoyment and celebration of music history. ‘The history of music is really the history of a people,' says Eastmon. ‘We're looking at the fusion of cultures and explaining how this northern European island came from morris dancing and madrigals to where it is now. There's nowhere else in the world which is so exciting for new music; there are so many fusions and collaborations, this country may not be perfect but it's better than most at multiculturalism.'

For black children in the school system, learning about the cultures of their parents or grandparents can be a foundation on which they build their confidence and pride. Khadijah Ibrahiim teaches creative writing and performance with young black musicians in Leeds and is an advisor in education. ‘When the kids learn the drum they see that it's the heartbeat of the music and this ties it to the culture,' she says. ‘There's a heritage there in terms of storytelling and a way of life but this is never taught in schools. From the National Curriculum it's easy for black children to believe that their people haven't contributed anything and only know their history in terms of slavery, which is problematic for black and white children to deal with.'