Global Reports on Musical Projects

Musicians without Borders
The American anthropologist and musician Laura Hassler founded the Netherland based organisation Musicians without Borders (MwB) in 1999. Together with a group of Dutch and other international artists she undertook various music projects focusing on the Balkan helping people in the region to establish socio-cultural centres. Together with its local partners MwB is organizing multi-ethnic music festivals, children’s workshops, musicians’ exchanges and programs to replace lost instruments. Aiming at self-empowerment and continuity it focuses on training new music teachers, as well. Currently the project is being introduced to Palestine and Cyprus.

Please find more information at www.musicianswithoutborders.nl.

Jerusalem Academy of Music
The Israeli Professor Veronika Cohen discussed her concerns that despite the current awareness for the need to respect and preserve the musical cultures of all people, there is a distinct danger of blurring the uniqueness of each culture. Specifically, she discussed her concern that Arab musical folklore and art music might be submerged in the dominant Western culture. She discussed projects directed towards the preservation of Arab music, such as the establishment of a department of Arab music at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, making the Academy one of the few places in the world where a student can attain an academic degree in the performance of classical Arab music.  
In her lively speech she reported on educational projects for youth, such as a summer camp for Arab and Israeli youth, concerts of Arab music in the schools, master classes for talented teenage performers of Arab music. 

The homepage of the Academy is: www.jamd.ac.il/english/

 

 

Ethno World Music Camp
The Serbian born Cypriot musician Nenad Bogdanovic and president of Jeunesses Musicales Cyprus introduced the Ethno World Music Camp, which is a project driven by the Jeunesses Musicales International. Ethno is a unique project for traditional/folk musicians aged 15 to 28. It includes a series of summer music camps held annually in Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Sweden, and additionally some touring projects for smaller ensembles.

Download Nenad's presentation slides here.
Find more information at:

 

 

 

 

 

Music Teacher in Palestine
The German singer Marion Haak is working as music teacher and choral conductor in Palestine. Usually there does not exist any music education in Palestine - neither on a public nor a private school. Marion Haak reported on the different conditions that she has to face depending on the working location:

  • in Ramallah, where some people have the money to provide their children a higher education,
  • in the conservative muslim villages in a very deprived atmosphere
  • and in the Balata Camp Nablus, a refugee camp in the West Bank, which is a hot spot in any kind of respect.

Depending on the context the young musician has to adjust her teaching to the environment. Especially in the refugee camp the social aspect of the work becomes very important.

You may read a German article about Marion Haak's work, that was published in the Greenpeace magazine 02/2008 here.

Pictures on Marion's and her colleagues' work, taken by the photographer Peter Damman, are accessible here.

Music in Me
Music in Me is an independent international charitable foundation that organises music education projects for people and especially children in the Middle East to improve their lives, not regarding religion or political colour. Its managing director, Frans Wolfkamp, presented the foundation's work at the conference. The projects of Music in Me teach unprivileged children to play an instrument, to give concerts and to play with others, even abroad. Music in Me stimulates reconciliation, for instance by supporting the Arab Jewish Youth Orchestra. To become independent of foreign financial support, Music in Me teaches local organisations to raise funds in different ways for their projects.

One project funded by Music in Me is the Silwan Ta'azef Music School, that was presented by Danny Felsteiner later during the conference. 

Downloads: Presentation  Overview of projects
Detailed information at www.musicinme.net.