Music
At SALEM we offer guitar lessons, singing, piano and percussion classes. We even have a children’s choir and a youth music group that perform publicly at events in the village. Apart from voluntarily learning an instrument, we have introduced music lessons for all children and youth. It’s important to us that our kids have access to music, as it is seriously lacking in schools. Once a week, each group has time to talk about and practice music with our music teacher.
Viva la musica!
Viva la Musica is the name of the music education program in SALEM Ecuador
Vision & Mission
- Inspire, enable and empower children to learn, create and enjoy music for life.
- To train and develop “real” musicianship which empowers children to play acoustic instruments in an ensemble at live performances at community events.
- To create a local music eco-system which provides high quality, music education, instruments and performance opportunities to children in Mindo, Ecuador and surrounding villages.
Objectives:
- Provide high quality creative music education in groups, 1:1 lessons and ensembles.
- Provide school instruments & personal loan instruments
- Provide opportunities and facilities for regular performances
- Provide dedicated rehearsal, studio and performance facilities
- Provide opportunities for further education in music
- Create a dynamic, sustainable music & arts ecosystem
- Ensure inclusion and equal opportunities for all participants to make and enjoy music.
Background
In Mindo there are many children whose families simply cannot afford an instrument. Even with an old and battered instrument, those families struggling to pay for basic necessities cannot even contemplate the costs of new guitar strings, let alone music lessons needed to provide a basic music education. We are all artists. We all have a song to sing, a dance to dance, a picture to paint and a story to tell. Discovering our talent and expressing our artistry is an essential part of our creativity and the human experience. Music is an essential medium in building local community and creating strong, resilient culture and identity. Music and arts education in childhood is essential to a long happy, healthy creative adult life!
Music is life!
Like food or water Music is part of who we are, and can be said to be a basic human necessity and right. Music can connect us with our creative higher-self and uplift and restore us when we are down. It can move and inspire us to dream and to achieve more than we ever thought possible.
To live without music is to live in the worst kind of poverty.
Viva La Musica hopes to address and transform this type of poverty into a rich, thriving, vibrant community of young musicians. Viva La Musica seeks to create a socialy just community of musicians where talent, motivation and inspiration, not financial means, determine a childs opportunities and chances of enjoying a life of music. Viva La Musica seeks to find, nurture and promote musical talent in our children and beyond that to help them grow into empowered creative adult musicians who can „live the music“ throughout their lives!
Viva La Musica! How do you live yours?
How can you help?
There are many ways you can help us to make Viva La Musica a reality and to help our children to live out and express their musicality
Connect
Connect & Engage
Become a social media fan: like our page, share our posts and follow our activities.
Raise Funds
Become a Viva La Musica Fundraiser
Everyone who loves music knows the power of a great performance! A great way to support this program and to live out your own music in your own way is to organise a musical fundraising event! Enjoy making and sharing music, raise awareness of the Viva La Musica program and have a wonderful time in the process! Please be sure to share your Viva La Music fundraising activities with all of us!
Up-Cycle
Tune-Up-Cyle: instrument donations.
If you have serviceable, working instruments or studio equipment that are gathering dust in an attic or basement come to Mindo and donate them to us in person! As a thank you we’ll be happy to perform our favourite songs for you! Perhaps you can play us and teach us some of your own favourite songs!
Volunteer
Volunteer as a Music Teacher
If you are a music professional and you are as dedicated to and passionate about music as we are then you can come to Ecuador and volunteer to contribute to Viva La Musica personally. We can offer you the opportunity to facilitate a short term project based music assignment or volunteer as a resident music teacher for a year or more. Please contact us to discuss your ideas or apply to the formal volunteer program.
Sponsorships & Donations
The easiest, most effective and sustainable way for you to contribute to Viva La Musica is by offering a small monthly donation towards the total costs of the program.
Use our donation page to make recurring monthly donations via credit card or direct debit or to make single payments via credit card, direct debit, pay pal or wire transfer.
Equipment & Tuition Pledges
If you are an individual or company and you would like to make a larger tax deductible donation specific equipment or tuition costs please contact us to discuss your interests.
Title Sponsors, Investors & Bequests
We are looking for long term partner and donors who are interested in donating larger amounts towards the building costs and the stage, studio & music facilities in our new youth center. If you would like to know more about becoming a named sponsor in the Youth Center we would be delighted to talk to you.
Questions?
If you have any questions or ideas you would like to share with us contact via social media or send us an email info@salem-ecuador.org
