Musicwithoutborders

We are all ready for Monday Over the last two days we have been working with hugely talented musicians from Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Greece and Sweden. We have been curating a huge list of musical material we have shared. There are some songs that are very familiar: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and "Tommy THumb" are the simplest. There are also some African songs, rhythm and warm up exercises and popular songs from Syria. The Syrian musicians also shared a couple of dances. We must include these! Among our musicians we have drummers, guitarists, an accordion player and violinist. I want to ensure they are able to share their instruments so this will inspire the children's interest and also be a solo spot for each of them. I should mention that there were a couple of participants who had never really got involved in music before, but they have been converted (YAY) and value the power of music in people's lives. A lot of these children will have

Feeling blessed working with some real musical talent Today was the first day we spent working with other local musicians in Athens to share some great musical content, techniques and to ultimately formulate a programme for the workshop on Monday. The workshop on Monday will have 20 children from the camps and sheltered accommodation. We want to make it as interactive and memorable as possible for the children, and have been devising a varied programme of world music - as well as well known simple songs. There is always a surprise that comes along: everyone loved 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes' - particularly when I sang during a silent bit 😄 The workshop day included some improvisational work with rhythm riffs; conducting and creating a samba band! All very noisy but we know the children will love these activities. Kayra does a lot of art therapy (I will be featuring her work at a later blog); and she asked if we could incorporate some art activities int

We arrived in Athens today As you all know, these journeys all take longer than anticipated. We had to wake up at 3.30am in order to be at Luton Airport on time for check in. EEK! However we are now installed in our airbnb apartment which is about 10 minutes walk from the venue we are using. The venue is run by tech entrepreneurs who are already offering support for start ups. They have recently won funding from Google to deliver some coding workshops for adult refugees in Athens which is brilliant. We have already met up with Kayra. What an amazing lady she is. Today she co-ordinated a science workshop for about 20 families who were transported from the camp to a location where scientists gave an interactive workshop. She said the children and their parents were so excited and enthused by the workshop. One of the challenges is that there is little to do in the camps, so understandably they get bored. By doing these activities including music and art, it is providing a focus;

I can't believe we are flying out tomorrow. As with all creative projects there has to be an element of 'going with the flow' but experience has made me plan lots of activities -as have the other musicians. We all know that if a particular activity doesn't work, there are plenty of other activities that might be better suited. This is going to be huge learning curve as well as an honour to work with so many inspirational people. Don't forget to follow us and to leave your comments.

Planning with the Athens based talent I feel as though everything is moving forward. Today we organised a planning session with the musical talent in Athens. And wow: what talent there is! I am truly honoured to be working with these musicians. One of the most important parts of working in music is the collaborations. We all have musical experiences and we all learn from each other. That is how music works. The musicians in Athens have musical experiences and knowledge that we don't have. And rather like a bring and share supper, we are all bringing different ingredients to the table. We will discover what works and what the best results will be for the children. There are going to be adults attending from the camps who will be able to start doing the workshops with children in the camps; as well as local musicians. In some ways, we are having to be totally openminded. As well as having a framework we want to ensure everyone contributes to the workshops so that we

I am sure you are wanting to know more about the project we are involved in. The project is linked to excellent work being delivered by "Love Without Borders - for refugees in need" This astonishing organisation was founded by Kayra Martinez. Here is information on the organisation from the Facebook page. Kayra works tirelessly; spending what appears to be every moment when she isn't working, on this project. These are Kayra's words in describing the project: As an American citizen, working in Germany for the last 16 years, my life has been a dream come true. I've always wanted a way to give back in some small way. I have volunteered for 5 years for the CAUSE foundation helping Flight attendants, and in the last one and a half years in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia there has been a big need. There are thousands of refugees fleeing from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Due to many volunteer groups set up locally, they are getting basic