Appendix 6 - International Music Council

• Cite examples of the use of music to alleviate poverty or the conditions contributing to
poverty.
Groups
of musicians are among those who are concerned with the victims of tsunami
disaster in December last year. Some efforts had been done to help them by using
music. Among them were musicians including Lauryn Hill and Boyz II Man who
performed at March tsunami
benefit concert. The concert was used to soothe the
trauma caused by December’s natural disaster. The concert was held by The Force of
Nature Aid Foundation, a non-profit organization in Kuala Lumpur dedicated to
raising money to rebuild communities devastated by the tsunami in Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Langka and India (boston.com).
The government worked from other aspect that was the recovery of tangible culture
especially for kids and school children. They asked them to gather and played music
with their own instruments (that were still available).
17. The links between musical diversity and the promotion of peace
• Cite examples of the use of musical diversity to promote peace.
Music can attract imagination that represents the “real situation” among
audiences. Group of musicians can send messages to their listeners to achieve
ideas prosperity, solidarity, humanity, and peace. When music is performed
audiences perceive the message and experience both in real or in figurative
situation. A good example was Slank and God Bless, among the best music group
in Indonesia, when they “hypnotize” 15.000 audiences in Pekan Raya Jakarta
on
18 th December 2004. In the huge performance top government officers of
Indonesia and ambassadors from foreign countries also attended. The Canada
ambassador to Indonesia who also attended the performance said in his press
release that he was proud of the music groups who presented the “Peace Theme”
especially because one of the best bands came from his country. He said: “Music
is a alternative medium to promote peace for everyone in the world.”
Another example would be Mangkunegara, the minor King of Surakarta, Central
Java, who commissioned dangdut (hybrid music for youth) music performance for
promoting peace in the square in front of the palace on 5
of
g
th and 6 th June, 2004. The
performance was free-of-charge and everyone could come to listen and dance with
the music, the common practice when the music was performed. It was a kind
social music. In that event the music was meant to keep the people in the region
intact and to maintain solidarities among them. In his speech in front of audiences
the prince said: “Even if now we are in the rivalry condition to vote President and
the Vice President and we have different views to win our candidate, we should
not fight one another. I hope that everyone can keep his/her head cool and the
peace should be kept.” The performance featured noted singers from surroundin
areas.
• Can you cite instances where musical diversity has caused or been strongly associated
with social disharmony?
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