Rock in a hard place

While the EU was able to facilitate dialogue about the future of Kosovo at government level, the divide between local communities remains as rigid as ever. In TEDxTirana, Wendy Hassler-Forest, talks about how the Mitrovica Rock School has managed to connect hundreds of youth, from the two communities, in a city where countless efforts at reconciliation had failed before. The reason why this was possible, as she herself admits, is because, "at the Mitrovica Rock School, music is the only thing that matters". Wendy Hassler-Forest is the head of Musicians without Borders' regional office for South East Europe. With parents with careers in peace work and music, she decided early on to go in the opposite direction and aim for a career in law. Her interest in international relations pulled her back to the family business, and in 2008 she started at Musicians without Borders, co-organizing the start-up of the Mitrovica Rock School in Kosovo.

Musicians without Borders

"If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."
- Jimi Hendrix
Musicians without Borders uses the power of music to bridge divides, connect communities, and heal the wounds of war. They work closely with local musicians and organizations to build sustainable projects in response to local needs. They believe music creates empathy, builds connection and gives hope. Their vision is to make the arts accessible through peace building activities. Currently two of their projects - in Rwanda and Mitrovica - are at serious risk of closure due to a lack of funding.
Mitrovica Rock School - In post-war Kosovo, aspiring young rock stars meet across divides at the Mitrovica Rock School, where it’s all about the music.
Rwanda Youth Music – Introducing music therapy, training and community music activities to empower youth and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Please HELP if you can.

Robert De Niro's Commencement Speech

"When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense. You weren’t just following dreams, you were reaching for your destiny. You’re a dancer, a singer, a choreographer, musician, a filmmaker, a writer, a photographer, a director, a producer, an actor, an artist. Yeah, you're f***ed. The good news is that’s not a bad place to start"
"By the way, there will be times when your best isn’t your good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK."
-- Robert De Niro commencement speech at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts

Communication, Impact, and Empowerment in Music Education

"Education has to change, because in theory education needs to reflect the challenges of the society into which young people are entering...By nature over the last 30...40...50 years the world has changed dramatically, but actually education hasn't changed that much." 
Richard Gerver is the former Headteacher at Grange School in Derby, which won a UNESCO Arts Award. He is currently an educational speaker, author and broadcaster. He is author of Creating Tomorrow's Schools Today, where he argues that education is the platform for our success or failure and discusses whether the current system still fit for purpose.
"Music Education Days" at The 2015 NAMM Show featured Richard's keynote address. This talk conveys his view of leadership, change and innovation as related to education reform. “Education is not about content delivery, or preparing students to take tests” states Gerver, “It’s about helping to develop and empower them so they don’t just survive, but they thrive.” Through humor and personal stories, Richard emphasizes the influence that music education holds as a catalyst for improving our world, and shares his deep appreciation for Music Educators. “You are extraordinary people and what brings you here today, and what keeps you doing your job; through the obstacles, through all the things that are in your way, is a profound sense of higher purpose…Thank You” (source NAMM website)
-- Read/Listen to Richard interview on the Future of Education on 21st century Challenges
-- Read Richard's interview on dailyedventures
-- Watch Hot Management at The Grange School

The Power of Education #2

Zero Percent is a film documentary that takes the audience inside Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison’s college program inside Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison. From the outset of the film, we learn that Hudson Link sponsored students are men who have come to appreciate the full impact of their life-altering crimes, on others and themselves. And while it may be years before they see life outside the prison walls, we see first-hand their insight that their only hope for a redemptive, productive life is through the dedication they have shown in transforming their lives. The driving force behind Hudson Link’s creation and success is the men who were once incarcerated themselves; men who experienced first-hand the impact that mental and emotional rehabilitation can have on their lives, their families and their communities. The film’s title, Zero Percent, refers to the fact that not one of Hudson Link’s graduates has been re-incarcerated for a new crime once released (from Hudson Link website).
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison provides college education, life skills and re-entry support to incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism, incarceration and poverty.
-- go to Zero Percent website
-- go to Zero Percent Facebook
-- watch more videos here


Hudson Link Documentary "Zero Percent" Trailer from Hudson Link on Vimeo.


Hudson Link: Sing Sing Inmates Earn College Degrees from Hudson Link on Vimeo.

The Power of Education

"Being born a boy of the slums, society demands that I see myself as a loser, a person to remain poor all of his life. No. I see a different picture."
'The Backward Class' is a feature length documentary (winner of the Audience Award at 2014 Hot Docs) featuring the first class of dalit ('untouchable') caste students to attempt the Indian School Certificate exams & aspire for university after been given a European style education for the last thirteen years . One Class. One Dream. One Chance to beat the Odds.A first feature directed by Vancouver-based Madeleine Grant.
-- Read Canada’s The Backward Class is Hot Docs audience favourite
-- Read interview with Director


The Backward Class Trailer from The Backward Class on Vimeo.

How the Crowd Will Change Education

More than half of US public schools have at least one teacher who has requested classroom resources on DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit organization which provides a simple way to address educational inequity. Since 2000, citizen philanthropists and corporate partners have funded nearly a quarter billion dollars in projects for America's neediest classrooms. Listen to how the US most creative teachers are partnering with entrepreneurs to bring innovation to their classrooms, and how DonorsChoose.org is changing the way education is funded. This Keynote by Charles Best was given during the last SXSWedu® Conference & Festival on March 9-12, 2015 in Austin, Texas.
The SXSWedu® Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education. The event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, cinematic portrayals, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change. SXSWedu is a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals that includes SXSW Music, Film and Interactive; SXSW Eco and SXSW V2V. Internationally recognized as the convergence gathering for the creative arts, SXSWedu extends SXSW’s support for the art of engagement beyond musicians, filmmakers and new media innovators to include society’s true rock stars: educators!

Teaching Kids to code in the UK

Starting September 2014 the UK has introduced a major change to the national curriculum - a computing revolution.  ICT – Information and Communications Technology – is out, replaced by a new “computing” curriculum including coding lessons for children as young as five.
-- Read "Coding at school: a parent's guide to England's new computing curriculum" on the Guardian
-- Read "A computing revolution in schools" on BBC News
-- Go to Code.org

Music Education & Me

Founded in 1945, Musica Viva is Australia's oldest independent professional performing arts organisation. They also run one of the largest music education programs in Australia, Musica Viva In Schools and have a diverse program across the country, including in regional and remote areas. Musica Viva musicians Mark Cain and Paul Tanner traveled to the mid west of Western Australia to present music education workshops for some of the most remote schools and communities in the world.


Music Education & Me - Mid West Western Australia from Musica Viva on Vimeo.

Musician Karen Kyriakou teaches music to special needs students at Rosamond School in Melbourne as part of Musica Viva In Schools' Equal Music program.


Music Education & Me - Karen Kyriakou from Musica Viva on Vimeo.

Multidisciplinary Learning - Norway

”We are not just developing calculators, we are developing human beings.” - Bjørn Bolstad, headmaster at Ringstabekk school
We have posted about Finland announcing that in their new national curriculum, they will emphasize phenomena-based project studies instead of traditional subjects. Today we will talk about the Ringstabekk school in Norway that has already been doing this for 40 years with great success. In the 1970s teachers realized that their students were not truly engaged in what they learned at school and since then the pedagogy of the school has been developing based on the main idea of learning through multidisciplinary studies.The school uses different cross-curricular methods, and is constantly refining methods like storyline, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, simulations, etc. The teachers pick up ideas from each other and share their experiences ensuring that although the school does not have a local specified curriculum, all students experience the same learning methods and multidisciplinary themes.
-- Read full article on QUARTZ

How Empathy Fuels the Creative Process

In this TED talk, Seung Chan Lim shares stories and theories that arose from his recent research into the intersection between empathy and the creative process of "making." When we hear the word "connection," we often envision a line being drawn between two separate circles. This talk  intends to challenge this model of connection, arguing for an alternate model, where connection happens not when we draw a line between two circles, but when we remove an artificial line separating an already connected circle.
Seung Chan Lim is an award-winning designer and researcher/engineer. He is the author of "Realizing Empathy: An Inquiry Into the Meaning of Making." and is the director for the related "Realizing Empathy", a project that asks what it means to make something, how it works as a process, and why it matters to our lives. It explores these questions across disciplines such as fine arts, performing arts, design, science, and engineering.
This talk might seem a bit off topic, but we think it is a great one. Very insightful.

Powerful Learning Through the Arts

Arts Corps is a non-profit arts education organization dedicated to developing creative habits of mind in young people. Based in Seattle, Washington, Arts Corps bring hands-on arts classes to youth with little or no other access to arts learning opportunities, predominately children in low income communities of colour. Research shows that arts education has transformative results: higher attendance and graduate rates as well as an increase in creative capacities, leadership skills and connections to community. Arts Corps believe equitable arts learning opportunities for all young people will strengthen schools and communities, and unlock possibilities for our young people in school, college, career and life.  They embrace arts education in the context of social change and have made a commitment to reducing the opportunity gap in access to arts learning with high quality programming. In 2012, Arts Corps was awarded the highest national honor in community based arts education by the White House, The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.
-- Read about the Creative Schools Initiative

CREATIVE SCHOOLS

Ken Robinson's 2006 TED Talk on “How Schools Kill Creativity” is TED’s most-watched presentation ever, with more than 32 million views. He began meeting with governments and school systems to discuss reform decades ago. On “CBS This Morning” he discusses his new book, “Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution that’s Transforming Education”. Here he focuses on one of the most critical issues of our time: how to transform the US troubled educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the real challenges of the twenty-first century.
Click here or image below to watch him on CBS

Dear Future Generations: SORRY

"We must globally warm our hearts and change the climate of our souls and realize that we are not apart from nature, we are a part of nature and to betray nature is to betray us and to save nature is to save us..."
An Apology Letter to Future Generations by Prince EA.
-- Read about it on The Huffington Post Canada
-- Read about it on EcoWatch

Embrace CHANGE in Education

"We don't need reform we need transformation, changing the mindset of governments, of the private sector, of parents, teachers and learners to embrace a learning process which is setting the foundations for life long learners..also setting the foundations for reaching for the sky"-- Mamphela A. Ramphele
WISE voices elaborate on the themes of creativity, innovation and learning in education. Consensus is: for us to be innovative and creative, we have to push our boundaries and discover what lies beyond. This applies to learners of all ages, in all communities, everywhere.

22.4.2015 - EARTH DAY

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 192 countries each year.
"The Untouched - A Time-lapse Film" is a project by Shreenivasan Manievannan filmed across different National and State parks in the USA. The primary vision of the video is to showcase the untouched beauty of few of the US National/State Parks across the country and to create awareness about conserving natural resources of our planet, including preserving our skies.
-- Read about Climate Education Week Toolkit
-- Visit EcoKids - Earth Day Canada

The Power of Music

"I think that music might be one of the only things left in the world that globally connects people. Every person on on the planet in some way or another is connected to music... It transcends language barriers, generations...it inspires people, it heals people, it carries people through all different kind of emotions in different times.."
Walk off the Earth is a Canadian rock, Ska, and Reggae band that was formed in 2006 in Burlington, Ontario, and has gained success around the world by making low-budget music videos of covers and originals.
-- Watch Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth


Walk of the Earth - The Power of Music - Part 1 from Music Heals on Vimeo.



Walk of the Earth - The Power of Music - Part 2 from Music Heals on Vimeo.

MUSIC HEALS

"Music is the great equalizer, you can get down on the floor with little kids, you can sit down and write a song with a teenager, you can help people that don't have the words to express how they feel put something into something creative and express it"
The Music Heals Charitable Foundation was formed to help raise awareness of the healing powers of Music and to help fundraise for Music Therapy and related services across Canada. "Music therapy is the skillful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist to promote, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Music has nonverbal, creative, structural, and emotional qualities. These are used in the therapeutic relationship to facilitate contact, interaction, self-awareness, learning, self-expression, communication, and personal development." — Canadian Association for Music Therapy




Music Therapy (Music Heals 2014) from Music Heals on Vimeo.

Colour It

Helen Austin's JUNO/John Lennon Award winning song performed with the children from Ecole Puntledge Park and the Makinoo Choir for Canada's Music Monday celebrations.
Nice. Music belongs with kids.

We are all sound-makers!

Mark Stewart believes that 'the word 'musician' is too often used to discourage people from participating in their birth right as sound-makers' and gives a captivating performance via numerous home-made instruments. Mark is a New York City-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer and instrument designer. He has been a member of many bands, and is a founding member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars band and The Jerry Wortman Nonette. He has also worked with famous musicians among which Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul McCartney.
Mark makes music from everything – especially items cast away as garbage, things he finds in dumpsters. He’s an engaging speaker and this TED talk is a clear example of the importance of arts education. In particular he believes that arts has to be mandatory for all students. Kids have had creativity beaten out of them, think they can’t sing, think they can’t talk in front of an audience, think they can’t write creatively, think they can’t paint or draw. Classes like Stewart’s teach kids to open themselves up to the possibilities that maybe they can.
-- Visit Arts at MIT
-- Watch him on Q2 Music's 'Spaces'