GlobalGiving.org: Music & Education Program for Disadvantaged Youths

NEWS FROM MUSIC FOR CANOA

Nina McKleroy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:56:11 GMT

Youth Playing

Music for Canoa continues going strong and we have new members starting every month. Curently we have 14 active members on the Orchestra with Maestro Arhur. The classes are held twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays for 2 hours each day. There are10 active members on the guitar lessons with Maestro Valdir. Maestro Arthur also has a class of 18 children, ages 7-10, who are learning how to play the flute; they will be the future musicians of our Orchestra.

One of our young musicians who have been in the program since 2007 tell us about the importance of Music for Canoa project on her professional and personal growth.

"Since I started being part of this project, I have had many opportunities to meet new people; I have been in contact with so many different kinds of people. Music for Canoa serves as a learning experience for me. It nurtures my dream of becoming a great musician and play in many great venues around the world. I will never give up my dream of succeeding as a musician. I am happy to have continued in this project since 2007 and I continue to learn new things every day. " Patricia Marques, 20yo.

In behalf of our crew and the youth we serve, I want to thank you for your generous contributions and your commitment to make the lives of youth better and more meaningful. Your donation keeps this program alive and we hope that you continue to support our program and follow us on our journey to make music a powerful tool that can fight many injustices and can also help youth overcome obstacles that they might encounter in their lives.

Thank you!

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Music-for-Canoa-Project/109991617778

Music For Canoa Update

Andrew McKleroy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:28:41 GMT

Hello Music for Canoa Supporters!

Music For Canoa Project continues to serve the youth in Canoa Quebrada, Brazil thanks to your support. We continue to offer guitar lessons, an orchestra composed of 15 musicians and a chorus. This last month, we have received some instruments donated from Germany, which will help expand the orchestra. We currently need help with maintenance of instruments as well as help paying the maestro's salary. Our new maestro, Arthur, has been a great addition to our program. Arthur is dedicated to the youth he teaches and we are very lucky to have him in our team. We hope you can continue support us so that Music for Canoa continues to change these children's lives.

" I hope I can always continue to play my instrument. I hope our orchestra continues to grow and that we can have more people helping us. I now play the clarinet and will also learn the flute. My best performance was playing during my town's St. Peters Festival in June. It was a great experience and I was so happy to play for my community. Everyone kept praising us. The maestro, Arthur, has helped me grow as a musician and he is dedicated to my progress as his students. I am very lucky to have him as my teacher". Isabel Rocha, 11 years old.

If you want to know more about our program in Brazil please visit: http://criancasdeluz.org/ or you can also become a fan on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Music-for-Canoa-Project/109991617778

Here are some photos of the different classes being offered by Music For Canoa for you to check out.

Again, thank you for all your support in keeping this program going and making a difference in the lives of these young musicians.

Sincerely,

Andrew McKleroy

Music for Canoa President.

Isabel playing Clarinet

Music for Canoa Moving Forward! (3/23/11)

Andrew McKleroy — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:32:14 GMT

Hello good people,

Music for Canoa is going strong with the continuing support of volunteers and our new maestro, Arthur. We currently have three groups serving 32 youth. The band currently has 10 members, meets twice a week and is working on incorporating regional styles, international styles and classical music into its' repertoire. The childrens music class currently has 15 participants ages 10 and above and meets once a week. The childrens class is focusing on flute (flauta doce) before they tackle other wind instruments. The guitar class has 7 participants and meets twice a week.

I will leave you with a message from one of our promising Music for Canoa students:

"I love music a lot. My mom and aunt used to play in the band before Music for Canoa started the project up again and always encouraged me to join. I now play flute but in the future would like to play the clarinet. Thank you very much for the opportunity I have right now. I am grateful for all the people that are keeping our project alive."

Isabel Rocha Santos

10 years old

I hope this update finds you well and please check out the link to see new photos from our project.

Thank you for your generous support,

Links:

Photos of project

Music For Canoa and our New Maestro

Andrew Mckleroy — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 04:19:50 GMT

We are happy to announce that we have a new Maestro for the Music For Canoa Orchestra, Arthur de Majorlandia. There are currently 15 youth enrolled in the orchestra. The new Maestro is going to bring a fresh start to this area of the program. Finding a new Maestro for the band was an important step for the continuation of the program since it was request made by the beneficiaries of the program.

There are many committed members who want to grow as a musician and they work hard to achieve that goal by practicing every day. Marisa, 14, plays the clarinet and states that she "wants to become a skilled musician. "I come to the classroom even in the days we do not have class because I want to be ahead and practice as much as possible". Marisa embodies the spirit of Music For Canoa with her passion for learning and music.

Waldir's guitar and bass lessons are going strong as well. There are currently six kids receiving guitar lessons in the program and another three youth receiving bass lessons.

Finally, we want to thank Mayumi, our Project Director in Brazil who has worked hard to keep Music For Canoa alive and well over the last six years. She works closely with the youth of Canoa and responds to the needs of the community in her ever-resourceful way. We are very thankful to have people like Mayumi guiding our program.

Music For Canoa Update June 2010

Andrew McKleroy — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:51:53 GMT

the new generation

After discussing the need to attract younger students with Maestro Adriano and Mayumi Suzuki in December, we now have 15 regular students between the age of 8 and 12 attending weekly band class. The next generation is now enrolled and we expect big things from them.

One promising young student by the name Lazaro, when asked by Mayumi why he joined Music For Canoa, responded, ” I never get much out of school, it’s not because I don’t go, ‘cause I do and I like it, but it’s because I can’t read or write very well. When I first heard the instruments and heard all the noise I was frightened and at the same time very interested. Now I’m the first to come to the music room. I love this class. One day, I will play at a party for everyone to hear!!!" Lazaro's response reaffirms our mission to build confidence in young people through music and allow them to dream big.

Music For Canoa is alive and well. Thank you to all who have supported the program over the past years and we look forward to seeing the progress of the new generation of Music For Canoa musicians!

the new generation

Holiday Encounter

Andrew McKleroy — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:21:51 GMT

Dear Donor, This past holiday brought the Bay Area and Canoa Quebrada closer together as Nina, Brendan and I visited Canoa Quebrada. This was Brendan’s first visit to Brazil after 5 years of organizing for Music for Canoa. Brendan, a bassist in several Bay Area bands, donated a bass and held workshops for an aspiring bassist named Waldir, who is a teacher in the strings program. Waldir is currently learning reggae basslines in order to share with his students. Reggae, so similar in rhythm to the northeastern xote and baiao, is the music of choice for many youth in this part of Brazil and Waldir and Maestro Adriano intends to bring the big band and the string group together to play reggae and other popular Brazilian styles on different occasions. Shortly after our arrival the Music for Canoa band put on a holiday presentation. The community came out to support the youth and enjoyed traditional holiday songs and a theater troupe from the Crianca da Luz school. After the festivities the band went on holiday break and we sat down to plan the new year with Mayumi Suzuki, Maestro Adriano and his wife and a member of the band, Patricia Perreira. At the meeting Patricia, a long time participant in the program, stepped up to take on local fund raising responsibilities and began organizing a used clothing sale and a raffle. We all agreed that for the program to be successful long-term, the participants and parents must also invest in it. After discussing logistics and agreeing to a new effort to enroll younger students, the Maestro voiced some ideas about expanding the possibilities and reach of the program. The Maestro would like to add a drum set in order to play more varied styles and provide an opportunity for youth to learn an instrument that is in high demand. The Maestro would also like to purchase more sound equipment for presentation purposes. This would include a proper bass amp, a mixing board, two PA speakers, and a monitor speaker. Our trip was a great chance to reconnect with old friends and colleagues and see the growth of our youth and shared project. The youth are excited about the possibility of playing drums and bass and continuing to perform for their peers and community. We thank you for your continued support and hope the new year brings you health and happiness.

Axe, Andrew McKleroy

SANY 1621 (a pic of Waldir)

Music for Canoa

Andrew McKleroy — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 06:27:24 GMT

Our program has two main groups working at this moment: the Orchestra and Guitar lessons. The percussion part of our program is now incorporated with the orchestra, so they are now one. Our Orchestra had a big concert in the beginning of July: they played in the Saint Peter Procession that happened earlier this month. This Procession is a big event that goes on each year in our fishing village. The whole community is involved in making this a great event.

"I really like to play music and even though I can only attend some of the rehearsal because of my job, I manage to come and work hard so that I don't interfere with the other's progress. When we play together as a group it is a lot of fun! That's why I do what I can to come here. I really like our orchestra! (Patrícia, 17)".

We want to thank you our sponsors for supporting our program. This program has made music and culture available for our children and young adults and has allowed them to discover a new path on their lives away from drugs and prostitution.

In order to keep our project alive, we need your support. Your donation helps to pay the salaries of teachers, maintain our instruments and purchase supplies and new instruments. We are in need of drums or percussion instruments to expand our percussion lessons as well as guitars and wind instruments. We now have a paid Maestro who has worked hard to improve our orchestra. We need to maintain his salary of $ 200 dollars a month so that we can continue our classes. We appreciate all your support and contribution to keep our band alive!

We would like to ask you for any suggestions, critics or feedback about our program. You have made it possible for us to continue our work and for that we want to thank you!

News from Music for Canoa

Andrew McKleroy — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:55:41 GMT

students in practice

The music ensemble, percussion and voice lessons are continuing to be offered and now we are also offering guitar lessons. This new addition to the program was possible because of your generous contribution and also with the help of volunteers. Our young participants performed for the entire community and their parents were very proud to see them playing for the public. Their last performance was during Christmas and they are looking forward to playing again during San Peter’s Festivities that will go on in the month of July.

“I used to play the flute but I did not know at that time that I liked music so much. After I started playing the clarinet, I think I found an instrument that suits me. Now I know I want to be a musician and I will continue playing in the band until …forever. (Mariza 13 anos):

We want to thank all of you who have contributed to our project. This music project has created an opportunity for cultural growth and discovery in our young population. Our children have been given an opportunity to lead their lives toward a constructive future away from destructive influences such as drugs and prostitution.

In order to keep our project moving, we need your support. Your donation goes towards the salaries of teachers, maintenance of instruments and purchase of supplies and new instruments. We are currently in need for more drums or percussion instruments.

Thank you for your help.

ensemble

guitar lessons

Update for August 2008

Mayumi Suzuki — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:15:54 GMT

This update was translated and edited for clarity by staff and volunteers of Dreams Can Be Foundation August, 2008 1127 Music & Education Program for Disadvantaged Youths Hello: The Association Children of Light, immensely thanks your contribution! We would like to say that the project “Music for Canoa”, in 2007 constructed a music room in the community and restarted our work, we created a new program for the guitar lessons, our ‘Band of Music’ continues, beyond of the lessons of flute and the children’s choir, helping more than the 15 children. Our work is improving the future of the children and the youth of the poor fishing community. With this project, the children and youth improve their relationships and can discover their skills and proficiencies, being able to transmit their knowledge for other children and youth. Many times the students cannot rehearse because many of the instruments need repairing, not having enough for all the kids. This year we have our own space, which it makes possible to have better attendance. Kassia, 18 years, who participate of the project, liked music a lot but she didn’t know how to play any instrument. Later when she started at the band of the project, she improved her relationship with the kids and learned how to play. Today she is a member of the group and she is working to improve her future. We have discovered that the project can change completely the perspective and the conscience of youth. Children that have never known instruments for example, the band, which must be composed of several people- learns to work together in a group and this aids in the children’s ability to relate to one another. The have discovered together that they can improve their future with music. Music brings a new vision “the world is only”. The main goal of the project is that children and youth know the professions through the music and that they have new perspectives of life, different from what they live today, that they can walk with their own feet and that they can construct a better future. We hope to continue to grow this project of music lessons so that more children can be benefited. This year we would like to offer the new guitar classes for more additional children. Your contribution was very important for us to continue our work and so that many children and youth have more opportunities to grow, personally and professionally through the music on the road to better and better lives and also bettering the future of our community. Again, thank you very much! Please continue to support our work and your generous contributions through Global Giving.

Music for Canoa Update

Lauren Gauthier — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:16:52 GMT

2007 has been a rewarding year for the Music for Canoa program. They have begun expanding the breadth of their project and building a new music classroom so that more children can benefit from the program. By increasing program participant capacity, Music for Canoa has enabled the marginalized communities of Northeastern Brazil to participate in strengthening the musical culture in the area.

Of the various courses given, there are 10 youths participating in chorus, 15 attending percussion lessons and 25 in the Orchestra. Each program has conducted many performances for the surrounding communities, letting culture and Canoa’s rich musical heritage expand the minds of those who listen. Under the guidance of Nina McKleroy, a native of Canoa Quebrada, Brazil; the program has gotten the opportunity to offer more courses and participate in cultural events. Since relocating to San Francisco, California, Nina has created more partners and supporters in communities in California and in Brazil, promoting international awareness of the program.

The youth who attend Music for Canoa’s after school program range from 8 to 19 years of age. The participants come from the surrounding low income neighborhoods and the program gives youth an enriching form of entertainment and leads to greater self-esteem and self-knowledge which can be important components for a child’s development in a community with high indices of involvement in the drug trade and child prostitution that plaque this impoverished community.

The construction for the new space begins in September and with the help of various supporters such as the donors from Global Giving; Music for Canoa will be able to complete their music school and allow more participants. With more students attending the classes and the increasing popularity of their programs Music for Canoa aims to continue their success and create programs that will empower the lives of those who participate and at the same time provide some much needed entertainment for the surrounding communities.