How music has changed me

Our volunteers’ filmmaker Tomas Uribe and political scientist Paola Duran from Columbia talk about their three week journey in Mumbai describing how music has changed the lives of the children at Brett Lee’s Mewsic India Foundation

Music is definitely a universal language. It communicates and transcends through people’s souls and ears regardless of social statuses or geographical location. The following is a short summary of our experience in India, working with Brett Lee’s Mewsic India Foundation, and learning from a truly extraordinary culture and people.

Along with my partner, community planner Paola Duran, we arrived in Mumbai on the first week of August. Our first impressions of this culturally rich and extensive country were not far from amazing and unique. Clearly, dense traffic jams and street-packed pedestrians colored the urban landscape as we made our way to what was going to be our lodging for the following three weeks.

The objective of our visit was to delve deeper into the lives of these children, who participate in the music centers, and understand the role music plays in their lives. Fortunately, everyone was on board and excited with the project, and thanks to the valuable participation of tutors, mobilizers and communication with the Mewsic team, we interviewed not only several children, but also their parents.

The interviews served to understand how the trust is created between tutors and students. Taking into account that not all kids come from the same background, or are equally vulnerable, we assessed which were the best ways to communicate with them. Clearly, one of the first barriers was the language. Some of them preferred to speak and answer the questions in Hindi, or Marathi (Maharashtra’s local dialect), while others simply preferred to play their guitars or sing a song. It was then when we noticed how music can aid in the development of a young boy or girl. Music speaks for itself.

Mewsic India Foundation is undoubtedly committed to improving these children’s lives through music and its positive impact has become evident not only through the kids’ words and actions, but also through their parents. Even though these moms and dads share their perspective when talking about the importance of education and success for their children, they know this might be just a hobby. What they observe in their children is how they have become fixated on something other than the average activities at the slums, something potentially better. When we asked about their thoughts or feelings when seeing their kids perform, the common denominator was that they felt overwhelmed and proud. They admire how their children have invested their time in learning new dance moves, singing new songs, and rehearsing guitar, flute, and keyboard. All interviews have a sense of a nostalgic dream. While walking in the slums, we can almost feel how people talk through the walls, not only words, but sounds. These are the sounding walls of Mumbai, telling the stories of music students, their parents, and a foundation that believes in the power of music as a tool for empowerment.

While doing these recordings, we got the opportunity to understand and see more of Mumbai and its culture. Mumbai, as the breathing and urban organism it is, possesses the aspect of a British colonial city, with monuments and architecture hard to forget. These characteristics, along with its contrasts in city planning, religious buildings, and crowded streets make it a unique and breathtaking place. All of this added to the wonderful experience we had while working on this project. Most importantly, we met amazing folks that not only helped to make this process as ‘smooth’ as possible, but made us feel right at home. A truly great experience we will never forget, and a beautiful project we’ll continue to develop, be part of, and try and make it better, little by little.

Thanks to everyone at Mewsic and Innovaid.

All the best,

Tomas Uribe and Paola Duran .