We hope we have anticipated all your questions but if you have others please contact us and we’ll reply as soon as we can. Click on the category your question is likely to be under or scroll down:
- Musequality and our projects
- the value of music
- other music projects
Musequality and our projects
What was the inspiration behind Musequality?
Musequality was inspired by the wonderful work music projects for young people are doing around the world. Organisations like El Sistema in Venezuela, Buskaid in Soweto, South Africa, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Cello Choir of the Amazon are all making remarkable changes in young people's lives. It struck David Juritz (Musequality’s founder) that, whereas there are many bodies funding existing music groups, not one was dedicated to starting new groups. Musequality was founded to help people wanting to create their own music group get over that first and biggest hurdle.
What do you mean by music projects?
There is no fixed formula. We are flexible in our approach and will work with existing or new groups which want to run a music project that fits in with their local community. The key elements are that the project should draw in the most underprivileged children and have communal music-making at its heart.
Do you focus on any particular kind of music?
No. We believe it is vital that children have a sense of pride and enjoyment in their own culture as well as learning to appreciate other musical styles. Our focus is on structured projects (rather than the more informal music-making that is often part of community life); the type of music is not important. As part of this structured approach we expect participants to learn music theory as this gives them the versatility to tackle more challenging and complex music.
Surely music projects won't appeal to everyone?
We agree. But we have not set out to be a catch-all charity – plus other charities take different opportunities to underprivileged children. Variety is the key – we felt there was a gap and now seek to do what we can to fill it. Of course, becoming proficient in any form of music requires some aptitude but, if the chance to learn is not available, talent cannot be spotted. Community music-making will not appeal to everyone but many who have no access to it can never know if it will appeal to them – and may never have the chance to change their lives for the better. We would like to give them that opportunity.
Are these music projects a threat to other cultural music traditions?
No. We recognise that each community in every culture has its own music traditions and musical instruments. Our aim is not to replace those traditions and instruments but to work alongside them – and to give children a wider choice, if they wish it. The evidence suggests that music projects bring not just new music to communities but also lead to a renewed interest in local musical traditions.
Do you only support existing groups?
We tend to support music projects through schools, charities or organisations which already have a track record of success (though not necessarily in providing music) simply because they have a greater chance or succeeding. By adding music to the services they already provide, or expanding a small music project, they can offer new opportunities to children they already support and draw in children who are attracted to the idea of making music but have previously felt excluded. However, we can support brand new projects and would like to hear from you if you have an idea you would like to discuss with us.
What age groups do your projects cover?
We have no fixed age criteria. Structured music projects can have a dramatic effect on children’s lives, whatever age they are, giving them opportunities they might never have considered and enabling them to turn their lives around. In an ideal world, children should become involved in music projects at primary school age (from the age of seven to 11) though some younger children may well be keen. For teenagers, a particularly vulnerable group, it can provide a chance to discover confidence in their own abilities so they can start to develop their lives just at the point when they are at greatest risk of drifting into trouble.
The value of music
Why music?
Four reasons. First there is a large and consistent body of evidence showing that children who receive regular music instruction improve more quickly – across a wide range of skills – than those receiving no music lessons. Music, as well as being a cost effective means of delivering educational benefit, offers children the chance to develop good social skills. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Venezuela where El Sistema offers every willing child the chance to learn a musical instrument. An article in the Economist stated: "A 1998 study by psychologists from the University of the Andes found that participants, who include formerly violent delinquents, tended to steer away from crime, drugs and other temptations. They also showed marked improvements in academic performance, self-esteem, leadership qualities and social integration". El Sistema has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Venezuela. We believe that this system can be replicated anywhere around the world.
Secondly, musical ability cannot be bought, borrowed, stolen or faked. It can only be acquired by putting in time and effort - resources which everyone has in equal measure whether rich or poor. Once acquired, its greatest rewards are in sharing it with others and in the enjoyment it brings to all involved.
Thirdly, around the world, in most cultures, music is at the heart of the community, bringing people of all ages together, giving them pleasure, enjoyment and a sense of belonging. But it is the more complex and structured activities that draw children into developing skills that have an impact on other aspects of life. Learning to read and write music, and music theory, leads children into understanding complex structures. By exploring how each person’s part, though very different, fits in with everyone else’s, children learn to support each other as well as to contribute. Acquiring the discipline needed to practise regularly; understanding and achieving the composer’s intentions – the subtleties and the depths; finding the commitment needed to perform to an audience; and many other aspects of communal music-making give children advantages they might not otherwise gain. Performing together means individuals learn not only their own parts but also to listen to others; they must be both independent and interdependent. These skills are needed in every aspect of life; gaining them is hugely rewarding, personally, intellectually and emotionally – and they can have a dramatic effect on children’s lives.
Finally, it is important to give choice. Other charities take sports projects, for example, to underprivileged children. But sport does not appeal to everyone – in the same way that music does not appeal to everyone. If we in the developed world are to help a larger number of children, we need to provide a choice so that as many children as possible can be inspired and encouraged to reach for a better future.
Aren't there more important priorities than music projects?
It is true that many of the children we support – and many more who we could support – need a safe home, clean water, more food, better health care, improved infrastructure and a political voice. But, in our view, this is not a question of one or the other; children in the developing world should not be denied the chance to gain skills that will help them improve their lives, for the long term, while waiting for other aspects of their lives to change.
While other charities devote themselves, quite rightly, to raising standards of living and improving life expectancy, we think children’s social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual lives can and should be enriched and, for us, that means through communal music projects. Our own long term aim is to work with organisations which work to improve the physical and political aspects of underprivileged children's lives so that, together, we can make an even bigger difference.
The developing world desperately needs qualified and able teachers, doctors, farmers, lawyers, scientists, business people, decision-makers and leaders – drawn from their own communities. If it is to have those people in the future it needs – today – to help its young people develop the essential skills and qualities that will enable them to turn their lives around and fill these and other important roles. Communal music-making teaches those skills and qualities.
Other music projects
El Sistema, Venezuela
Thanks to the inspiration and determination of its founder Maestro Abreu, El Sistema has been a phenomenal success. Founded in 1975, it provides every willing child with a musical instrument and the means to learn how to play it. The scheme has offered hundreds of thousands of children a route out of poverty. Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra received a rapturous reception when it appeared at the 2007 BBC Promenade Concerts during its European tour. Former El Sistema pupil Gustavo Dudamel, who Simon Rattle has called “the most astonishingly gifted conductor I have ever come across”, is shortly to take over the reins of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other El Sistema graduates are now to be found in many of the world’s leading orchestras. The primary aim of the programme however is not to produce professional musicians but to show those taking part that they hold the keys to their own future. A high proportion of El Sistema’s participants go on to higher education. (Web: www.fesnojiv.org)
Buskaid, South Africa
Founded in 1992 by British viola player Rosemary Nalden, Buskaid runs a music school for about 70 students, aged six to 27, all of whom are drawn from the less privileged local community – the Soweto township. Students play stringed instruments and learn music theory. (Web: www.buskaid.org.za)
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Founded by Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim, this brings together young Israeli and Arab musicians in a spirit of interdependence and harmony. (Web: http://west-easterndivan.artists.warner.de)
