Music Communities through Technology

Technology has made it possible to create musical communities across borders. Show the students the following clips and use them to continue the discussion about using music to create communities:

Playing for Change is a project started in 2004 to “inspire, connect and bring peace to the world through music”. People from around the world are recorded in many different locations, singing the same song. This song, ‘Stand By Me’ - unites performers from ten different countries.

Playing for Change’s song Satchita - brings together musicians from Brazil to India (via California, Argentina, Jamaica and Cuba).

A clip showing musicians from 156 countries singing All You Need Is Love together to raise money for AIDS in Africa.

Join up with a choir from the other side of the world!!

For this activity, you will extend your own musical community by recording a song with another school elsewhere in the world.

In partnership with the other school, you will choose a song, and either sing along with a recording or find a suitable backing track. If you choose Stand By Me, a good backing track is available below: Backing track for the song Stand By Me.

Take time to learn the song, and discuss the aspects of performance you feel will reflect our TH School or Vietnamese community (e.g. local instruments, clothing, location where they will perform, etc.).

We will need to arrange a performance time with the other school, and link together via Skype. It might even be possible to film this combined performance and edit a joint version in the style of a Playing for Change video.