Gather Together

Seenaryo has been creating collaborative and imaginative community theater in Lebanon since 2015. We started working in Jordan in 2018, and we ran our first training in Palestine in 2022. While Seenaryo is first and foremost a theater organization, music has always played a big part in what we do.

Join UNESCO and the World Alliance of Arts Education in celebrating International Arts Education Week from May 20–26.

It’s easy for us, as teaching artists, to believe that all humans can access creativity. As the leader of ArtistYear and a practicing teaching artist myself, I understand the inclination. Any notion suggesting otherwise seems to challenge fundamental beliefs about our purpose—if there are people who can’t access creativity, then a place exists where teaching artistry is rendered ineffective. With this line of thinking, however, some nuance in the conversation is lost.

I have worked in the humanitarian sector for almost 15 years, in both Jordan and Lebanon, which have the highest refugees per capita in the world. In that time, I’ve learned thousands of life stories: of people who lost their homes, their possessions, and their established lives; of traumatized children and departed loved ones; of extreme health crises, both mental and physical. Yet, despite the hardships they reveal, these stories have always been more about bravery, strength, resilience, faith, and love.

When we last spoke to Sounds of Change Founder and Director Lucas Dols, in 2022, he was hopeful about an upcoming year of growth for the organization… Seventeen months later, the world is no less difficult or overwhelming for young people looking to find their way. With a focus on those who are most affected by violence and displacement abroad, we talked with Lucas about the work Sounds of Change is doing to help.

Foster, a new initiative launched on June 2 by the African Music Library, is expanding opportunities for African music education in primary and secondary schools across the continent.

Today is the 41st annual World Music Day, or Fête de la Musique, a worldwide celebration of free and accessible music.

Adults are living longer, but support systems for older adults are not keeping up with this growing demographic. Luckily, arts workers at the intersection of aging and wellbeing are uniquely qualified to step in.

We always champion the social impact of orchestral programs serving youth around the world, and part of that advocacy is a need to self-reflect and revisit our ideas with fresh eyes. To that end, the latest issue of Music and Arts in Action is worth a read.

A 16–year–old’s song is letting young men in Australia know it’s okay to express their emotions. “Because Boys” was written by Rory Phillips as part of the Boys’ Vocal Program in New South Wales.