Afghanistan's National Institute of Music held a year-end festival in Kabul to mark the first year of music training to youths.

The festival was participated by a number of education ministry officials, national and international musicians and students of the music institute.

Officials in the Ministry of Education said the festival is aimed at encouraging the young generation to further improve their art skills.

The festival is marking the end of winter music academy which was offering music classes to for the past two months.

More than 20 foreign and national musicians were invited by the institute to make music students acquainted with new skills.

"The National Music Institute is prepared to offer music classes to our young generation. The Institute has successfully completed its first year," Education Minister Farouq Wardak told TOLOnews.

"We made efforts to hold much concerts and training programmes in our winter classes," Ahmad Sarmast, founder of the music institute, told TOLOnews.

Afghan national music institute is functioning under ministry of education with the financial support of some countries and international musicians.

Last year the institute was renovated with the funding provided by the United States, Germany, France, Netherlands and Finland.

Presently around 130 students receive music lessons in the institute.

National Music Institute has launched winter music classes in Kabul to help students improve their music talents.

Music instructors in the institute said the winter classes which will last for two months are aimed at broadening music students' access to practical lessons.

The classes are held along with weekly concerts performed by guest artists from foreign countries.

The institute is planning to invite more than 20 national and international artists during the winter time to teach students how to use musical instruments properly.

"The weekly concerts are part of a big programme under the name of winter academy of Afghan music. This is totally a new project in Afghanistan and the goal is to help students use their winter holiday," Dr Ahmad Sarmast, Head of National Music Institute, told TOLOnews.

Some artists performing concerts in the institute said they want to make students familiar with new methods of music.

"These concerts are programmed for a winter academy which is running for the next two months and we are bringing a bunch of guest artists to come and teach and perform. The concert ideas are a weekly event where our guest artists, our faculty and our students get to collaborate together and perform and expand music into the Afghan community," Robin, a foreign teacher in the institute, told a TOLOnews reporter.

Music students seemed to be happy with the launch of the winter classes.

"It has been four years that I have been studying music in the institute. We greatly need some foreign instructors, because we want to learn new things in music," a music student Ahmad Mehr, 20, told TOLOnews.

Currently the institute offers music lessons to more than 150 students.