Music inspires...

"Music unlocks creativity. It develops children's social skills and their self-confidence." - Carolyn Baxendale, Head of Bolton Music Service and the GM Music Hub
Music Education Hubs were established in 2012, in response to the British government’s 2011 National Plan for Music Education (NPME), to provide access, opportunities and excellence in music education for all children and young people.
Arts Council England think that all children and young people across England should have access to the highest quality music education. Their network of 123 Music Education Hubs are working hard to achieve this aim - in partnership with schools and further education institutions, they run all kinds of projects to inspire young people through music.

The Learning Generation

The world faces three fundamental and urgent challenges: prosperity, security and health. Every day we are inundated with stories of poverty-stricken countries, bloodied children becoming the victims of conflict and the many lives lost to preventable diseases. The magnitude of such suffering leaves many feeling helpless. The #LearningGeneration report proposes one central answer to these challenges: educate future generations in order to alleviate the global problems we face.
The Education Commission is challenging the international community to rally behind a bold vision to create the Learning Generation: getting all young people into school and learning within a generation.
-- Watch The #LearningGeneration: A Global Wake-Up Call

Peace is not enough

We have just celebrated Peace Day and it is such a shame that already more than 90 people are reported dead from recent bombardments in Aleppo Syria, including a lot of children.
We also should not forget that peace can be achieved only as part of a much bigger project. The Sustainable Development Goals, unanimously adopted by the 193 Member States of the United Nations in 2015, are integral to achieving peace in our time, as development and peace are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Every single goal is a building block in the global architecture of peace. It is critical that we mobilise means of implementation, including financial resources, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building, as well as the role of partnerships. Everyone has a stake and everyone has a contribution to make.

LET US ALL PLAY OUR PART

TODAY IS PEACE DAY. WHO WILL YOU MAKE PEACE WITH?
"On International Peace Day, let’s remind ourselves that we can each play our part, every day." (Glen Furbler)
- Read opinion on Bernews or the Royal Gazette
- Listen to "I wish", official song for Peace One Day 2016
- Watch live broadcast here

Peace is the Way

Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI) global youth-led community action program, comprised of thousands of young people inspired by Jane to make the world a better place. Each September, Roots & Shoots groups from around the world celebrate Peace Day and honour the UN International Day of Peace. Jane has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2002 and she inspires us all to live in harmony with nature and each other. Each project is a step towards a future in which humans can live in peace in an environmentally sustainable way—a step towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
DON'T FORGET PEACE DAY IS TOMORROW SEPTEMBER 21 !!!

Building Blocks for Peace

Every year on the International Day of Peace (September 21), the United Nations calls on warring parties to lay down their arms and observe a 24-hour global ceasefire. The symbolism of a day without fighting is a crucial reminder that conflict can and must come to an end. But peace is about much more than putting weapons aside. It is about building a global society in which people live free from poverty and share the benefits of prosperity. It is about growing together and supporting each other as a universal family. The theme of this year’s Peace Day highlights the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs – as Building Blocks for Peace. Conflict often starts when people compete over limited resources. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is our blueprint to prevent such conflicts from arising by making sure no one is left behind. When the 193 Member States of the United Nations unanimously adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals last September, their message was clear. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS ESSENTIAL FOR LASTING PEACE, AND BOTH DEPEND ON RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. We need to protect our planet. And only by working together can we make our common home safe for future generations. All of us can be sustainable development advocates and spread the word about the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. And we can all hold our governments to account for keeping their pledge to the future. Let us all work together to help all human beings achieve dignity and equality; to build a greener planet; and to make sure no one is left behind. On this International Day of Peace, express your commitment to peace by becoming a champion of the Sustainable Development Goals.
— UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Let's Make the World a Better Place

Kidnected World is connecting a new generation of young global citizens who understand, explore and reimagine the world together in powerful, unprecedented ways. By connecting kids all over the world in ways that have never been possible before, they set a new point from which kids can understand other people, other cultures and themselves—and together create new possibilities for good. The Wonderment is their first initiative — and it’s the first app of its kind. In the Wonderment, kids participate in collaborative creative experiences with other kids across the globe and turn their shared imagination and interaction into a currency backed by brands and donors to support social good projects benefitting kids around the world. It’s a place where kids can find their creative voice, connect it to others and use it to make a difference.
- Explore videos on Youtube or VIMEO

Kidnected World Connects Kids to Explore and Reimagine the World Together from The Wonderment on Vimeo.

Kids Voices - Global Leadership Summit 2016 from The Wonderment on Vimeo.


The Wonderment: Guatemala Library Bus from The Wonderment on Vimeo.

Music brings us closer together

"You don’t play the music, the music kind of plays you – because the music goes into your head, and once you have the music in your head, you just want to dance and be free" ~ Sistema England Young Leader, In Harmony Lambeth.
Sistema England is a charity, founded by Julian Lloyd Webber, that seeks to transform the lives of children, young people and their communities through the power of music making, as part of the international El Sistema movement. The Sistema England Young Leaders are the most skilled and committed young musicians from In Harmony Lambeth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Telford, Sistema in Norwich and The Nucleo Project, coming together to create a vibrant new orchestra while developing leadership and life skills. This is so inspiring.

Dream Peace

"If you could make any wish, what would it be?"
Jubilee Project is an innovative platform that harnesses the power of Internet videos and the spirit of philanthropy, making videos for a good cause, telling stories that inspire change. JP makes short films, PSAs and documentaries in collaboration with non-profits to increase awareness and inspire action. In partnership with Team Kids, they created "Dream Peace" to learn more about the hope and wishes of todays children.
DON'T FORGET PEACE DAY COMING ON SEPTEMBER 21st!!
- Visit Peace One Day

Protect Music Education

"Music should be a birth right for all children"
- J.L. Webber, British cellist, conductor and founder of Sistema England
The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK's professional body for musicians. The ISM was set up in 1882 to promote the importance of music and protect the rights of those working within music. It is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation with 7,500 individual musicians in its membership. ISM actively lobbies Government on behalf of its members to create a united voice for music. They have conducted several campaigns, including a recent one to protect music education.

Literacy Day - September 8

"The world has changed since 1966 – but our determination to provide every woman and man with the skills, capacities and opportunities to become everything they wish, in dignity and respect, remains as firm as ever. Literacy is a foundation to build a more sustainable future for all." ~ UNESCO Director-General
This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and UNESCO is celebrating it under the banner “Reading the Past, Writing the Future”. International Literacy Day 2016 celebrates and honours the past five decades of national and international engagement, efforts and progress made to increase literacy rates around the world. It also addresses current challenges and looks to innovative solutions to further boost literacy in the future. Fifty years ago, UNESCO officially proclaimed 8 September International Literacy Day to actively mobilize the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities and societies. Now International Literacy Day is celebrated worldwide, bringing together governments, multi- and bilateral organizations, NGOs, private sectors, communities, teachers, learners and experts in the field.

The Secret Chord..

We have featured the PS22 Chorus many times on this blog. It is just the essence of why music (and the arts) should always be taught in school and given at least the same status of other subjects.
The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island (New York). It is composed of 60-70 fifth-graders, and is directed by Gregg Breinberg.  PS22 is the largest elementary school in Staten Island which draws students from a wide cross section of ethnic groups and socio-economic levels.

Stand For The Arts

Stand For The Arts, a project of Ovation, is a national initiative to raise awareness, protect access, and encourage action on behalf of the arts. Ovation is an independent television and digital media company dedicated to celebrating and supporting all forms of arts and culture.

Creative thinking is in the Arts

Musician David Byrne and Neil deGrasse Tyson discuss the vital importance of arts education.

Where is the Love?

Warming up for Peace Day...coming soon on September 21!!!
PEACE TO ALL.