VOICE
an all-girls’ orphanage on the outskirts of Bombay
HARMONIZE MUSIC PROJECT
Sarah’s newest and most exciting initiative centers on nonprofit music education. In an innovative pilot program, Harmonize, Sarah will fuse her learned teachings and own methodologies to implement a music program at VOICE, an all girls’ orphanage outside of Bombay. She will teach violin and voice, using music as a means to cultivate self-reference and resilience, thereby strengthening the girls’ higher needs. By building resilience and self-reference, self-confidence and one’s ability to connect will be deepened. Ideally, an increased awareness in social emotional wellbeing will help prevent or mobilize the girls from poverty. Sarah strongly believes in the power of intentional Arts education, and gravitates towards developing sustainable social change for marginalized communities. Music is not an object or an outside subject to be learned. It is not an “extra”-curricular. Music education is an essential tool for empowering future generations to live from the heart, promoting peace, understanding, tolerance and creative minds.
Due to COVID and unforeseen timing, this project’s start date is TBD. The girls of VOICE could significantly benefit from your donations, either for Harmonize or for general caretaking of the children. Please visit VOICE for more information, or email Sarah to find out how to donate or volunteer your time.
ABSTRACT
VOICE (Voluntary Organization in Community Enterprises) is an all-girls orphanage, home to 24 girls aged 10-18 years, on the outskirts of Bombay. There is a critical need to provide graduating girls with a reliable skill set which can prevent or mobilize them from poverty. I believe using music education to cultivate resiliency, will serve them regardless of economic status, age, or location, and offers immediate benefits—both at the orphanage and post-institution. I propose introducing a pilot program which uses music (violin and voice) to empower the girls in a new, experiential approach. I will present music as the lens through which one learns to see herself, thereby helping each student build a foundational point of reference. I will guide students to “try on” different sound patterns, just as one would a shirt. Through experiencing fundamental relationships of music, they will discover their own orientations in sound, creating an architecture with themselves at the center. Students will develop self-reference and consequently self-reliance. Because there remains a lack of research in the effects of playing music on both academic achievement and emotional well-being, I will examine the influence of playing music on both factors. Using a mixed methods approach, I will administer pre- and post-tests and bi-monthly progress monitoring, including a student-centered working-portfolio. This project is a culmination of my 31 years of musical investigation and 16 years of curricula development. My goal is my published research will show the quantifiable benefits of music to induce self-efficacy among young women, and will also contribute to how music education is valuable for marginalized communities globally.