Children's music from Paraguay
June 26, 2006
Bringing music to the children…
In rural Paraguay, opportunities for children to express themselves through music and the arts are few and far between.
Now, through a partnership with world-class orchestra director Luis Szarán, children throughout the country are learning to play music and learning valuable life skills.
The Sounds of the Earth project uses a “music conservatory on wheels” to bring instruments and instruction to rural children. As teachers travel from town to town, new musical groups spring up in their wake, providing an invaluable way for children to express themselves creatively.
The children are responsible for caring for their instruments, and in many cases are taught how to make the instruments.
The results of the Sounds of the Earth program are easy to see—and hear—in the music of the children and their excited reactions to the experience.
Paola, a 12-year-old girl, told Plan: “I was always shy; I didn’t like to talk with people or share with my classmates. After participating in this project, I feel more confident, more secure. This is what girls need: An opportunity to see that we can do things, because at that moment your life changes.”
…and their music to the world
After only two years of musical instruction as part of the Sounds of the Earth program, 10 harpists and 12 guitarists from the rural Isla Pucu community received an amazing invitation: the chance to perform internationally.
The 22 lucky children opened the 5th International Encounter of Youth Orchestras, an event that brings together more than 50 classical youth orchestras in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The children started by playing a traditional Paraguayan folk song called “Pájaro Campana.” Later in the program, they led an orchestra of 1,700 children in a performance that included such classics as Beethoven and Mozart.
Their performance made the front pages of newspapers in Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital, and is a tremendous source of pride in the community. Most importantly, of course, is the effect on the children themselves. Nelson, one of the performers, put it best: “When I started to play my harp, I dreamed about taking my music outside my country. I didn’t know that the day would be so soon.”
Thanks to your sponsorship support, Plan is proud to help turn children’s dreams into reality.
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In rural Paraguay, opportunities for children to express themselves through music and the arts are few and far between.
Now, through a partnership with world-class orchestra director Luis Szarán, children throughout the country are learning to play music and learning valuable life skills.
The Sounds of the Earth project uses a “music conservatory on wheels” to bring instruments and instruction to rural children. As teachers travel from town to town, new musical groups spring up in their wake, providing an invaluable way for children to express themselves creatively.
The children are responsible for caring for their instruments, and in many cases are taught how to make the instruments.
The results of the Sounds of the Earth program are easy to see—and hear—in the music of the children and their excited reactions to the experience.
Paola, a 12-year-old girl, told Plan: “I was always shy; I didn’t like to talk with people or share with my classmates. After participating in this project, I feel more confident, more secure. This is what girls need: An opportunity to see that we can do things, because at that moment your life changes.”
…and their music to the world
After only two years of musical instruction as part of the Sounds of the Earth program, 10 harpists and 12 guitarists from the rural Isla Pucu community received an amazing invitation: the chance to perform internationally.
The 22 lucky children opened the 5th International Encounter of Youth Orchestras, an event that brings together more than 50 classical youth orchestras in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The children started by playing a traditional Paraguayan folk song called “Pájaro Campana.” Later in the program, they led an orchestra of 1,700 children in a performance that included such classics as Beethoven and Mozart.
Their performance made the front pages of newspapers in Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital, and is a tremendous source of pride in the community. Most importantly, of course, is the effect on the children themselves. Nelson, one of the performers, put it best: “When I started to play my harp, I dreamed about taking my music outside my country. I didn’t know that the day would be so soon.”
Thanks to your sponsorship support, Plan is proud to help turn children’s dreams into reality.
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