The balafon is a tuned West African percussion instrument. It is the ancestor of the marimba, xylophone and vibraphone, and has been known of in the Malian Empire since the 12th century. There are different types of balafons but the balafon taught in Kirina is the Malinké balafon, whose notes are displayed from left to right on a chromatic scale.
Damon Albarn (born 23 March 1968) is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects and groups throughout his career. He is perhaps best known internationally for his current role as the frontman and songwriter of Gorillaz, whose first two studio albums had sold more than 20 million copies together by 2007. Albarn also serves as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur, and has been in the projects The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Monkey: Journey to the West and Mali Music. Albarn was born in Whitechapel (London, UK). He grew up in Leytonstone and Aldham, Essex. He was voted the 4th greatest frontman of all time in a national 2010 Q magazine poll.
>More about Damon Albarn on Wikipedia
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Your gift can make a positive difference while also helping reduce taxes you might owe. A gift of appreciated stock is a great way to accomplish both objectives.
We’re able to accept donations in the form of stock through the Depository Trust Company (DTC). For security, settlement, and reduced paperwork, electronic transfer through DTC is preferred. This can be arranged from most brokerage accounts. Please contact accounting@playingforchange.org in advance so your charitable donation can be easily tracked for tax purposes, and we can address any questions or concerns you may have.
Faites un don à la Fondation Playing For Change depuis la France au travers notre fonds de dotation.
La Fondation Playing for Change peut recevoir des dons au travers au travers du Fonds de Dotation pour le Financement et Soutien de la Fondation Playing For Change. Cet organisme à but non lucratif permet à des donateurs résidant en France de beneficier de déductions fiscales: 66% du total du don pour les particuliers dans la limite de 20% de leurs revenus et 60% du total du don pour les entreprises, dans la limite de 5 % de leur chiffre d’affaire.
Adressez vos dons par virement bancaire, ponctuel ou régulier
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Les dons en provenance d’autres pays européens et à destination de notre Fonds de dotation peuvent également permettre de bene cier de déductions scales selon les lois du pays dans lequel réside le dona- teur.
Contactez-nous pour toute information complémentaire: francois@playingforchange.org
We are fortunate to have a global community supporting the Playing For Change Foundation. Many people choose to give by electronic wire transfer for regular or stand alone donations.
If you live outside of the United States or would prefer to send funds directly from your bank account, you can donate via wire transfer.
Please contact accounting@playingforchange.org or call +1-310-558-2900 if you are interested in giving through a wire and we will send you the necessary information.
Culture and environment are very intertwined here in M’hamid. The weather turns from blistering hot in the summer (reaching 130 degrees Farenheit regularly in July and August) to sandstorm season in March and April, which helps to propagate the date palm trees, the economic power in the region. Climate change is a very real presence locally, with little access to water becoming normal, and the encroachment of sand dunes onto precious farmland happening right now, working to disperse not only communities, but ancient traditions with them.
In M’hamid there is a great importance placed on the community and people moving together in groups. Whether it be families of 10 living under the same roof eating from the same central Tagine dish for their meals, or the ritual of preparing and sharing tea with whomever may be around, foreigner or local, the sense of inclusion is vital to the community. The passing down of music and poetry from generation to generation is another vital aspect of the community, as art and tradition serve as reassurances in a constantly changing world. It is the role of the youngest generation to learn from the past to bring the traditional Saharan art into future, so at to coexist with the modern.
Program Administrator Poppy Tsira talks about the community of Gugulethu
We issue charitable tax receipts for all donations.
You will receive a printed tax receipt for your gift. Please let us know if you’d like us to direct your donation to a specific project or initiative. We accept international donations in the form of bank issued money orders in USD. Money orders should be made payable to the Playing For Change Foundation and can be mailed to the address below.
Please make checks payable to:
Playing For Change Foundation,
171 Pier Avenue, #271
Santa Monica, CA 90405 – USA.
In our ongoing effort to connect the world through music, our direction has been shaped by where we have been and by those who have inspired us along the way. With this in mind, we strive to:
Continue progress and foster sustainability with schools currently in development
Establish valuable partnerships and collaborate with other organizations
Expand the opportunities and resources available to communities in need
Be an access point for various forms of aid, including clean water, electricity, and medical resources
Create positive change through music education
Economic Empowerment: We use local materials and labor when building, employ locals as teachers and administrative staff in our schools.
Local Leadership: Programs are led and affirmed by local village and community leaders.
Using Music to Transform Lives and Communities: Caring adults encourage discipline, joy and personal expression through music and arts programs. Programs emphasize tolerance and shared understanding as methods for solving problems.
Connecting People and Communities: Cameras and other technology empower individuals and communities to tell their own stories. Children in different countries and schools learn about and get to know peers who live in dramatically different regions and circumstances.
15 music programs have been created in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, Mali, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Morocco, Mexico, Argentina and Thailand. Every week more than 2,000 young people attend free classes in dance, instruments, languages and musical theory, all taught by qualified local teachers.
Projects also help meet essential needs of the larger community, including the provision of aid such as food, clean water, medicine, clothes, books, school supplies, solar energy, computers, and other modern technology. Over 15,000 people have been impacted by the Foundation’s community development and empowerment efforts throughout our program regions and beyond.
Annual program evaluations reinforce the real and positive impact of music education and demonstrate change in action. When children play music together, collaboration increases and conflict is reduced. And critically important to children, particularly those who are vulnerable due to poverty, conflict, drugs, and neglect, is that learning music increases self-esteem and fosters resilience and joy.
Learning music has also been shown to increase self-esteem and foster resilience, which is critically important to children who are vulnerable due to poverty, conflict, drugs, and neglect.
