Costa was part of a group from Sylvia's Children (an organization run by his mother) who traveled to Uganda, Africa to teach children at the Mbiriizi Primary School.
"None of the children had ever played guitar before," said Tony Costa. "One of the music teachers there loves the sound of the guitar and had always wanted to learn it, but it's hard for them to get one. It's very expensive to get one in their area and very few people play guitar so you have to search for people who could give lessons and the lessons are very expensive.
"The children were thrilled which made me feel phenomanal to be able to teach them how to play. It's funny, people ask me how were the students. I'd say they were just like any kid as a student who plays guitar. The first time a kid picks up a guitar they start banging on it because they love the sound of it. It was wild. Language was only a problem for the first hour or so. Without sounding like a Hallmark Card, music is its own language and it pretty much takes over afterwards."
The organization was able to get 17 guitars donated which they gave to the school. Costa taught two days of classes with - about four hours a day. He was able to teach some of the students and the teachers the basics and techniques of playing guitar.
"After about an hour of teaching them it was no longer about my words, it was about the sounds I was making," he said. "And that's what you really want them to pick up on. I can tell you anything but you have to hear the music to be able to pick it up. It has to resonate with you and it just did with certain kids."
Of course, it wasn't all work for Costa. Being in Africa, he went on safari for the first time and ran into elephants and bulls on the road. They even had the experience of seeing an elephant charge their truck before they took off down the road!
"It was so surreal," he said. "At times I'd turn to someone and say, 'do you realize we're in Africa?'"
Equally as surreal was learning that Africans are actually big fans of country music. He did a double take the first time he passed by a store that was blaring Willie Nelson. The people at the school asked him to send them some music.
Originally they wanted to get some acoustic music they could listen to and learn to play but then they started asking him for country tunes. Secretly, I know he's hoping that the two CDs of Astronaut Jones becomes an underground hit there.
"If I go back next year and they're playing one of my songs, I think I'll just collapse! That would be the ultimate compliment... Plus I could say I'm big in Africa!"
For more information on Sylvia's Children and how you can help visit http://sylviaschildren.org and for more information on Tony Costa (aka Astronaut Jones) visit http://astronautjonesnj.com
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
