Saturday, December 4, 2010

Playing for Change

In The Adventures of Mali & Keela, the chapter Keela's Surprise uses the example of a musical performance to demonstrate creativity, generosity, love and unity.

I've found a real-life example of a project that demonstrates these same virtues...

Playing for Change started out as a documentary project, to record music from the streets. Their first single was a cover of Ben E. King's classic Stand by Me (its YouTube video has been viewed almost 26 million time so far!)


As the crew traveled around filming and recording musicians, they became involved with the music and people of the communities they visited. Most of those communities were of modest means, but the people were full of generosity, warmth, and were connected to each other by a common thread: music.

Playing For Change Foundation was then created and made its mission to ensure that anyone with the desire to receive a music education would have the opportunity to do so.

The Playing For Change Foundation works to create positive social change through music education. By providing children a safe place to learn, flourish and express themselves, they help provide a creative alternative to the struggles many of these children face daily.



To put it simply: when children learn to play music, they gain the skills and confidence they need to excel in all other areas of life... the gift of music today means a brighter future tomorrow.

Fantastic stuff.