Orchestras of the Americas for Social Inclusion_Organization of American States

APRIL 14, 2011

OAS Orchestra Program at Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU

CLACS Press release

BROWN BAG: MARIANO VALES ON SOCIAL INCLUSION VIA MUSIC

CLACS and Fundación ALMA will co-host a talk by Mariano Vales, Music Program Coordinator of the Organization of American States. The OAS music program is geared towards contributing to the reduction of risk factors that result in violent behavior and school dropout. Mr. Vales will give an overview of the program and how it incorporates OAS principles such as democracy, participation and peace as part of its implementation in Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia. He will share lessons learned and future plans, and will open up the discussion around the subject of music education as a tool in combating youth violence and in reducing school dropout rates. Discussion questions will expand on the above topics and include questions such as: How is music education an effective tool to reduce youth violence? Why Classical music instead of contemporary / popular music? Is a written method necessary for the replication of this type of program?

Cristal Downing, Founder and Executive Director of Fundación ALMA and graduate student at CLACS, will accompany Mr. Vales in his presentation. Fundación ALMA is an organization that aims to make music and arts education accessible to disadvantaged children in rural and urban communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Fundación ALMA’s vision is that Latin America and the Caribbean be a region in which music and arts education are accessible to all children, no matter their socio-economic or special needs. Children from a variety of backgrounds - the urban favelas of Brazil to the most rural poor communities of Guatemala - can be empowered by music and the arts. Through this empowerment, they may excel in other areas of life and strengthen not only their personal development, but also the development of the region as a whole.

LINKS: http://www.fundacionalma.org/photos-fotos/

          http://clacs.as.nyu.edu/object/clacs.events.brownbag.041411