My dream and journey to A Capella Academy 2026

My name is Aaron Hampshire. I am 16 years old, and I grew up near Cape Town, South Africa. I have recently received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the A Cappella Academy Camp 2026, and I am calling on you to help make this dream possible.

My musical journey started at a very young age. I was raised in an environment and household where there was always music in one way or another—whether it was listening to KFM radio station while eating breakfast before school, or relaxing with friends and family on the weekends. This formed a deep relationship with music in my heart that has remained with me my whole life.

I started singing in Grade 1, and by the end of Grade 3 I won Best Male Singer for my age group in the Boland, Western Cape. I had never started singing for achievements or accolades, but after reaching this milestone—something I had not even set my eyes on—I realised I had been given a gift by God.

Then came my Grade 4 year. One evening, my mother came to talk to me about a school in rural KZN called the Drakensberg Boys Choir School. I thought s...