Musicians without Borders - War Divides, Music Connects

WHO WE ARE (2:53)

Why Music?

‘You may be poor, you may only have a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope.’

Nelson Mandela

Where war has raged, people need everything to return to life: food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine. But more than anything, people need hope. To reconcile, people need empathy. To heal, people need connection and community.

Music creates empathy, builds connection and gives hope.

Who We Are

‘If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.’

Jimi Hendrix

Since 1999, we’ve been using the power of music for peace-building, connecting people, empowering musicians as social activists, and training local youth as change-makers.

Our long-term commitment allows our participants the time to develop skills and talents, process grief and loss, and build bridges of reconciliation in societies divided by recent or ongoing conflict.

ABOUT STAFF PARTNERS & DONORS CONTACT

WHAT WE DO

Our mission is to bridge divides, connect communities, and heal the wounds of war using the power of music.

PROGRAMS

TRAINING

ADVOCACY

Soy Música

Together with Salvadoran music teachers and community leaders, we share tools to give children at-risk feelings of safety, inclusion, creativity and joy.

El Salvador

Mitrovica Rock School

The Mitrovica Rock School restores rock music culture to the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, Kosovo.

Mitrovica, Kosovo

Music Bridge

Music Bridge is a multi-year collaborative project to create sustainable community music programs within Northern Ireland’s divided communities.

Northern Ireland

Palestine Community Music

We train young Palestinians to become music workshop leaders for children in camps and isolated villages in the West Bank.

Palestine

Rwanda Youth Music

Since 2010, we have worked with medical and community organizations to bring music to thousands of children in Rwanda.

Rwanda

Welcome Notes

Bringing comfort, solidarity and hope to war refugees through music.

Italy, Germany, The Netherlands

Community Music & Health

We're training youth leaders to use the power of music to address the effects of HIV in young people.

Uganda

Training of Trainers

Are you a musician? Train with us to develop skills in using music as a tool for peace-building and social change.

Advanced Training

In partnership with organizations and academic institutes we offer advanced training for musicians in different locations in the world.

Tailored Training & Workshops

We offer tailored training courses and workshops in community music and nonviolence for musicians, arts and community organizations, businesses, conferences, and universities.

Testimonials

Read testimonials by participants of our past professional training courses.

Training FAQs

Answers to frequently asked questions about our Advanced Community Music Training programs.

Representation

We share our knowledge and expertise at conferences, seminars and expert meetings.

Expert Meetings

A series of expert meetings for musicians and organizations who use the arts in social inclusion processes in different European countries and contexts.

Written Work & Research

We publish papers and and collaborate with researchers to advocate the use of music for reconciliation, healing and social change.

NEWS & UPDATES

August 22, 2017 photo album

Soy Musica – El Salvador – 1st Training Week

We are training 35 music teachers and community facilitators in community music leadership, reaching out to thousands of children across the country, and using music for inclusion and social harmony. This program is in partnership with Unicef El Salvador and the Ministerio de Educación E.S. For more information: http://mwb.to/soymusica #MusicConnects

August 21, 2017 program news

Skopje Summer School 2017: Meet the Students

Meet the students who will take part in our summer school this week in Skopje.

August 26, 2017 event

Closing Concert: 10th Annual Summer School

Seven ethnically mixed Mitrovica Rock School bands will perform their own songs, celebrating its 10th annual inter-ethnic summer schools and nine years of successfully bringing together youth at the Mitrovica Rock School.

September 12, 2017 event

Music as Refuge: Presentation at ACU North Sydney

In this presentation, MwB founder and director Laura Hassler explores the role of the arts in shining light on the contradictions of our societies, and the potential of music to help address the loss of home, culture and identity for people on the move.

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