Music as a Global Resource: - International Council for Caring ...

SECTIONS:
Music for Sustainable Community Development
Music for Lifelong Learning
COUNTRY:
Mexico
PROJECT:
PROVIDING MUSIC EDUCATION TO STUDENTS IN DIVERSE SETTINGS AND
INSTITUTIONS: MUSIC AND CULTURE AT CEDROS
DESCRIPTION:
This project began in 1995, based upon the idea that “every child can,” and that music, as a form of
education, serves as a natural resource connecting youth to education. Equal opportunity is critical to such
goals. Therefore, the program is open to anyone without having admission criteria based on ability or
talent. Diversity is another essential element fostered by the project, through offering over 23 music
ensembles, thereby providing students with a variety of sonic experiences and a myriad of musical
opportunities. These vary from participating in symphony orchestras to drums ensembles. CEDROS
actions and goals focus on the notion that, in order to understand differences, it is necessary to understand
the world and its complexities. Thus, the program strives to expand a youth‟s horizons. Ensembles are an
important part of this process, whereby youth participate in concerts across the globe: Washington,
Annapolis, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco, Berlin, Roma, Madrid, Bilbao,
Pamplona, London, Cambridge, and 15 states of Mexico.
Part of communicating with others involves close interaction, thus creating opportunities for new ideas
and musical experiences. The project has consequently been aided through the production and recording
of ten CDs, all by student ensembles. Further, with this aim in mind, CEDROS has opened its own
borders to all levels and types of education in Mexico through the “Festival Internacional Cedros-UP”- an
event designed to improve the quality of the music education in Mexico and to foster awareness of the
ways in which music can be an element in social, cultural and economic development. Performers and
educators from 29 countries taught Mexican teachers during the seven festivals that have been held to
date, each festival having a different focus. The 2010 festival is focused on the issue of “Music and
Education toward Peace.”
The main objectives of CEDROS are to:
provide music education to students in diverse settings and institutions
supervise similar aimed projects across Mexico
offer musical-pedagogical alternatives to Mexican teachers
Populations being served include:
513 children who received choral or instrumental classes at DACCUP
Expanding to 4 other schools, that have been inspired and are supervised by this project
A chorus at a juvenile prison
Music classes at a day-care center for underserved children
43 music teachers work directly at DACCUP and 30 music teachers work in the other schools
More than 1000 music teachers, from all over Mexico (public schools, private schools, and
universities), have taken music teacher training at DACCUP
CURRENT STATUS:
This project has attained a great deal of recognition in the music education field in Mexico. Nevertheless,
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