Graduates of the Alpha Boys School are spread all over the world — some even in Toronto. Almost all of the school's graduates are involved in reggae music.

The school, now known as the Alpha Institute, is well-known to reggae fans as a springboard for some of the genre's best musicians. For decades, the school has been providing education to young men from impoverished backgrounds in Kingston, Jamaica.

But the school, free to attend and run by music-obsessed Roman Catholic nuns, needs money to stay open.

Alpha's well-known music program has traditionally focused on instrumental studies. But due to the changing music industry, it's now evolving to include courses on music technology. The school has dispatched a fundraiser to Toronto to help implement this change.

"Toronto also has a significant Jamaican community. I think it's great for them to find out the ways our program is helping people," said Joshua Chamberlain, the school's director of special projects. "There's even some past Alpha students in Toronto."

Chamberlain is hopeful that the school's change in direction will help more young Jamaicans find employment in the music industry, and he is hoping Toronto can help with that mission. Chamberlain is currently in the city to conduct public outreach and fundraising for the school.

"If you follow reggae at all, you know about the school," he said on Metro Morning. "It has been around since the 1890s. It's run by nuns. So reggae and nuns, I thought it was the good story."

'Not everyone plays a flute'

Alpha's music program dates back to 1892, when boys participated in a drum and fife corps. The outfit evolved into a famed brass band under the school's longtime matriarch, Sister Mary Ignatius Davies, an avid record collector who encouraged students' musical talents for decades before her death in 2003 at age 81.

Some of the more notable graduates are Joe Harriott and Dizzy Reece, ska pioneers The Skatalites, Leroy Smart and Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace.

"There's also dozens, maybe hundreds, of Alpha grads who have played on really significant and well-known albums," said Chamberlain. "Three of Bob Marley's backing musicians were from Alpha. Alpha graduates have even played with Louis Armstrong and the Beatles."

But as the music industry changes, Alpha also must change, Chamberlain admitted.

"Not everyone plays a flute, but a lot of people can make a beat on their computer. We want our students to have all the tools they want to make it in the industry," he said.

In 2014, there were some other significant changes at the school. Originally, Alpha was an orphanage. But, due to financial trouble, Alpha changed into a day school.

It began producing a radio station that only played albums by alumni. It currently has 70,000 listeners worldwide, and serves to train the students about radio and promote the school.

"We're also getting more tools. We have a recording studio. We're getting more books. We're growing to have all the tools that anyone pursuing a music education would need," said Chamberlain.

But despite cutbacks, the school was still losing money.

The school's funding formula is different from most schools. Students don't have to pay tuition or for any instruments, save for a $20 fee and the price of a school uniform. The nuns and different departments at the school find ways to make money to support the students.

"Music has the power to help these students. Music is everywhere and there are so many careers and professions that these young boys could pursue," said Chamberlain.

But running a school for impoverished children in Jamaica is not cheap, and, as Chamberlain said, "we need more money."

"The school is in a better place than it was last year. But, we're still having financial issues," he said. "We're talking to people around Canada because your interest will hopefully translate into some sort of awareness or financial help."

The Alpha Institute is collecting donations online here.

