Music For Peace Project
an article by David Kimball

The Music for Peace Project is an unprecedented global effort to fill the world with music as a call for peace and justice and to promote critical empathy, ethical thought and critical social involvement through musical performances. Through the simultaneous performance of a vast number of concerts worldwide during the weekend of April 8 – 10, 2005, the Music for Peace Project will bring popular and media attention to international peace efforts while building a global, non-partisan community of socially active and civically conscious artists. The Music for Peace Project is a global celebration of peace, uniting a vibrant community that believes in peaceful solutions for the future.

The Musicians' Alliance for Peace (MAP), which is facilitating the Music for Peace Project, was formed in 2001 by music students at Stony Brook University to promote peace through music. This was started in response to aggression throughout the world, and to honor those who have lost their lives in terrorist attacks worldwide. In February, 2004, the MAP coordinated over 50 hours of concerts in 13 countries. Their goal this year is to hold 500 concerts in those three days in the hopes of creating a local and world community where compassion, empathy and diversity are the norm. Both the local and international components of this unprecedented project were conceived, organized and implemented by Stony Brook students.

To reach their goal, they are inviting musicians worldwide to perform a concert for peace during April 8 – 10 or dedicate a pre-existing concert to the project. People can join at http://m4p.org or they can write to MAP at info@m4p.org. At their website, there is an entire toolkit for the organizers. These toolkits consist of a flyer, poster, letter of invitation to prospective musicians, mock press release, brochure (tri-fold), several pages of quotes, and a listing of registered concerts around the world.

DISCUSSION

Question(s) related to this article:

What place does music have in the peace movement?


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THE ARTS AND A CULTURE OF PEACE

LATEST READER COMMENT:

This is a response to curious...

I think it is great that you hear unique music.  I really enjoy seeing live shows myself.

In response to your comments I thought about the current paradigm that exists in the western world that promotes pop music which has many messages in its lyrics and presentations that are not in accord with the 8 keys.  I think if that already established system could be used to promote the 8 keys youth would really respond.  
The difficulty arises when people are taugh and pressured or uninformed about acting in accordance with the keys.  So they get drunk, and eat junk food, instead of respecting their own body.  But if a positive and truthful message could be put out I think the generation that grows up on that music will have a lot of common sense.

So folk music communities like the ones you may participate in are great.. . ...more.

This report was posted on March 1, 2005. The moderator is CPNN Administrator.

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