Perspectives & Collective Action

The World Health Organization, in partnership with a number of art and health institutions, just released a special issue of their SDGzine highlighting arts programs addressing urgent public health needs around the world.

Africa No Filter and the British Council have published a new resource that can benefit anyone involved in or interested in developing arts and cultural projects across Africa.

EU4Culture has announced a call for proposals of projects that promote intercultural cooperation and dialogue among non-capital cities across the EU4Culture Cities Network in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

We often talk about prioritizing the wellbeing of the young people and communities we serve, but what about ourselves?

The Jameel Arts & Health Lab—the brainchild of the World Health Organization (WHO), New York University’s Steinhardt School, the non-profit organization Culturunners, and philanthropic foundation Community Jameel—was launched earlier this year with an ambitious mission: to research how the arts can improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in some of the most challenging places around the world.

How do youth-focused music projects differ in urban and rural areas, and where are their connecting points? The Lewis Prize for Music sought out five organizations serving rural communities across the U.S. to answer this question.

Regressive lawmaking in the U.S. has led some music educators to feel unsafe talking about race, gender, or history in the classroom. In response, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) a published a must-read report earlier this year on Divisive Concepts Laws (DCL) – legislative and executive orders that restrict teaching and learning activities related to race, gender, sexuality, and U.S. history—and their impact on music educators across the U.S.

What’s the backbone of healthy musical practice? As it turns out, our backbones; when our bodies feel at odds with our music–making, we risk injury, fatigue, and poor development.

As communities grow increasingly diverse in places like British Columbia, where 29% of the population identify as immigrants, programs like VYC Kindred, from the Vancouver Youth Choir, are offering music as a meeting place for the region’s past and future.

Growing up, I was taught to suck it up, because your pain isn’t serious until you become an adult. Feelings weren’t a thing, and neither were options. So when I joined a place that preached opposite ideas, I thought I had fallen into a parallel universe.