The Bank of Valletta is supporting ‘Maltese Music Heritage in Education,’ a project aimed at reviving Maltese traditional instruments as an important legacy of our local heritage. The project was inaugurated by Hon Minister Dolores Cristina, Minister for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport at Robert Sammut Hall in Floriana on Friday the 12th of December, 2008.

Speaking during the launch, Edward Muscat Azzopardi, Head of Marketing at BOV said “Bank of Valletta is pleased to support this important project. The Bank’s involvement will see these instruments distributed to all schools in Malta and Gozo, where students can have first hand experience on the their history and use. Investing in education will ensure that an important part of our local heritage will be retained for future generations.”

The project was conceived by Ruben Zahra, director of the cultural organisation Soundscapes, which introduced two folk instruments, it-Tanbur (Maltese tambourine) and il-Flejguta (Maltese cane-flute) under this initiative. Each instrument is presented in an elegant transparent case and is accompanied by a compilation CD of Maltese folk music and an informative brochure.

Within the last few years there has been a revival of traditional Maltese instruments. Ruben Zahra and his collaborators initiated this process back in 1999. These efforts have now paid off as today Maltese traditional instruments often feature on the international platform as an important symbol of Maltese culture. This launch will see such instruments become more that just museum pieces, and can now be made widely available to students and the general public.