Music & Society
Collecting Beats works in differents contexts around the globe aiming to empower artists to use their art to strengthen local communities.
Imagine what a creative mind-set, leadership skills and autonomy could bring, especially when growing up in a disadvantaged position in society?
Although we have different cultural backgrounds, we worldwide share the need for identity, freedom and creation. They bring a sense of belonging, autonomy, self-esteem and the ability to use the power of imagination.
Get a glimpse of the projects Collecting Beats is involved in. Ultimately, Collecting Beats dreams of creating synergy between all these inspiring socially engaged artists and projects worldwide.
The Netherlands
The Transformers
The Transformers is a pop band from Rotterdam that’s all about exchange. The different life experiences of the band members tell a wider story of the city of Rotterdam. These stories – of people with experiences of and with homelessness – are elevated by the skills of professional musicians. The music made can often tap into a deeper layer of meaning and urgency when combined with those stories and the playing of those who have experienced homelessness.
Engaged Conversations
Collecting Beats engages students from conservatories in the Netherlands in creative processes in connection to social contexts. For example elderly homes, mental health care or neighbourhoods. Doing artistic research, creating new connections, designing artistic interventions, interactive workshops and performances, or composing for a specific audience. I help them navigate in topics that come to the surface around the social relevance of art, ego vs. eco thinking, dealing with uncomfortability, equality, shared responsibility, positionality etc.
Muzorgski
Muzorgski brings together parties who make music in a serious and non-therapeutic way with people with mental or (psycho)social vulnerability. Muzorgski combines and strengthens the knowledge and activities of existing and new organisations.
Collecting Beats is actively part of the network, regularly thinking along and designing training sessions for musicians in this field.
Cuba
Yukali
Since 2022 I'm collaborating with Yukali in Cuba. Local violinist Mariana Hutchinson Siemers initiated creative music projects for kids and teenagers in marginalised neighbourhoods in Havana. Besides being a sounding board, mentor and advisor for her and her initiative, I provide yearly training sessions to engage more local artists and build a strong community of likeminded people to move into these places with the power of arts.
Brazil
Projeto Conectar is a Brazilian music and arts education initiative that aims to contribute to the renewal of music teaching and learning processes. In its core are values such as social inclusion, antiracism, decolonisation, diversity and religious tolerance. Projeto Conectar believes that Creative and Collaborative Music Learning can lead to representation and protagonism of minorities, development of identity and autonomy of individuals and their communities, and also the development of musical and socio-emotional skills to strengthen new cultural and artistic local leadership.
Projeto Conectar and Collecting Beats recently started to collaborate to grow a creative learning approach in social music projects. We want to strengthen and exchange the qualities and expertise in the field. Together we design creative learning strategies for music educational projects, set up mentoring for local educators, and develop and execute local creative music projects for youth in marginalised areas. In May 2024 I hosted a seminar for the network of music educators, lead an intensive music project with youth in a community outside of Belo Horizonte (Lagoa Santa), and alongside that project I was mentoring one of the local music leaders.
The Middle East
Sounds of Change
For four years I’ve been part of Sounds of Change as artistic director and trainer in refugee camps and marginalised neighbourhoods in the Middle East (Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine (West Bank) and Egypt), empowering local young adults to become strong community builders through music making.
