Many of our readers know I always listen to music while I work. Whether I’m cleaning my house, working in the yard, writing an article, or working on a novel there will be music. I always find the right music for the task at hand.
That’s the wonderful thing about music. The same musical notes can be arranged in different order to create any style of music around the world. An artist playing a guitar or piano anywhere in the world plays the same song, and we can recognize it.
Music is the only universal language. Unlike spoken and written languages with different alphabets, characters, and pronunciations, the musical scale sounds the same everywhere. Music has the power to heal and unite us.
The Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) was established in 2007 to create positive change in the world through music and arts education.
Starting with this premise, the PFCF works with marginalized youth in low and lower middle-income countries to create educational and cultural opportunities through the commonality of music.
Currently, the PFCF operates 27 music programs in 19 countries which have positively impacted over 40,000 lives since 2007. It also employs more than 200 staff members, teachers, and community leaders to work in their own communities in parts of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Rwanda, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Mali. Each music program serves anywhere from 50 - 300 children.
Each program is customized to respect local cultures while combating social and economic disparities in the region. Often these disparities have been exacerbated by crisis – droughts, floods, or conflicts. These programs encourage young people to embrace gender equality and unity in their communities while preserving their cultural heritage and developing a strong sense of self regardless of their ethnicity, caste, class, or economic status.
All photos are for illlustration and are in the public domain. They are not from the PFCF website and are not from PFCF programs.
Recording artists from around the world have joined the program and help raise funds to support the work of the PFCF.
For more information about the Playing for Change Foundation visit their website, https://playingforchange.org/
Visit YouTube to see some incredible videos of your favorite artists playing some of your favorite songs with artists around the world. It’s a joyous experience to see the happiness on the faces of performers around the world as they blend their voices, unique musical instruments, and traditional instruments to create a new version of a musical classic.
I’m including a few of my favorite Playing for Change videos for you, but I can’t guarantee they won’t be removed. Sometimes the people posting these videos don’t want them played on other locations. Enjoy and please be sure to check out more video from Playing for Change on YouTube.