IF executive director of the Jamaica Music Institute Ye Kengale has his way, the community of Trench Town will once again be a hub for Jamaican music.

The JaMIN state-of-the-art studio, located at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s community centre off Collie Smith Drive, is scheduled to open for business next month and already there are big plans for the facility.

Scotiabank Foundation Director Joylene Griffiths-Irving gets a lesson in studio engineering from Christopher Daley at the official opening of the Jamaican Music Institute project.

“We are starting off with the studio as a centrepiece as it is our overarching concept for a music centre,” Kengale told the Observer.

He said the institute is designed to cater for every aspect of Jamaican music. As such professionals will provide engineer training for the studio’s C24 Pro Tool board as well as events management and promotion.

The venture is the brainchild of Dr Henley Morgan, chairman of the Agency for Innercity Renewal (AIR). It has received funding from the United Development Plan Programme and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Kengale also gave thanks to the Scotia Foundation for their ‘large grant’ which he said went a long way in ensuring the studio’s design was complete.

The studio will not be just about producing music, Kengale pointed out. Administrators will be pushing the musical heritage of Trench Town to promote the community.

It is hoped JaMIN will eventually attract tourists to the Institute which is near to the Bob Marley Culture Yard on First Street.

“We are in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artiste and Affilliates (JAVAA) to be the temporary home of the Reggae Hall of Fame,” Kengale disclosed.

Marley was born in St Ann but was raised in Trench Town. The area was an inspiration for some of his greatest songs including Trench Town Rock and No Woman No Cry. The Heptones and saxophonist Dean Fraser are also from Trench Town.

When the studio opens, Kengale says audio engineers from Trench Town will be the first beneficiaries. Morgan is brimming with enthusiasm about the project.

“I believe not just the next Bob Marley, but the talent that will supercede his, is living in Trench Town just waiting to be discovered,” said Morgan.