Music is a Human Right

Dear Friends,

I had the privilege of attending the Salzburg Global Seminar on The Transformative Power of Music in Salzburg, Austria.  It was attending by 60 people from 23 countries and included four days of meetings and discussions.  Among the many results of the conference was the following statement:



“The Value of Music: The Right to Play”
“The Salzburg Global Seminar meeting on The Transformative Power of Music believes that music is a proven gateway to engaged citizenship, personal development and well-being. Only through urgent and sustained action can we foster a new generation of energised, committed, self-aware, creative and productive members of society.
“ The inspiration and rewards unleashed by music are universal benefits that must be available to all as a human right. All children from the earliest age should have the opportunity to:
• unlock musical creativity,
• fulfil musical potential,
• develop musical expertise,
• shine for their musical achievements,
• encounter great music from all cultures, and
• share their new-found skills of creativity, teamwork, empathy, and discipline.
Providing these opportunities should be the responsibility of society supported by the education system, arts organisations, media and funding bodies working together. There are vital needs for:
• music education for all from the earliest age by experienced teachers,
• affordable access to training at all levels of ability,
• supportive communities nurturing children regardless of background – geographic, socio-economic, cultural,
• sustainable financial resources providing reliable support, and
• pathways to pursue excellence.
“Best practice models exist around the world, which show how this can be achieved.
“The future of music education is at risk.  Our youth deserves an immediate commitment to music as part of the core education curriculum.  There must be funding for youth music programs as part of a healthy and diverse society. We call on all governments, politicians, international agencies, educators, funders, and citizens to:
• assert the essential place of music in schools,
• support the development of new pathways for young musical talent,
• ensure that organisations offering these opportunities to young people are sustained and developed, and
• foster co-ordination between private and public agencies for support.”

Signed here by Fellows of the Salzburg Global Seminar 479 on April 5, 2011:
Nicholas Kenyon (co-chair), Managing Director, Barbican Centre, London
Sarah Lutman (co-chair), President and Managing Director, The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul, Minnesota
Duffie Adelson, Executive Director, Merit School of Music, Chicago
Bruce Adolphe, Composer, Educator, Performer, New York
Emily Akuno, Associate Professor, Music Performance and Education, Maseno University, Kenya
Thomas Anderberg, Music Critic, Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm; Lecturer, Philosophy Department, Uppsala University
Cecilia Balestra, Managing Director, Milano Musica; Professor of Music Management, Accademia Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Rex Barker, Director, simply transformational, London
Anton Batagov, Composer, Moscow
Zamira Menuhin Benthall, Honorary Chair, Live Music Now, Hamburg; Governor, The Yehudi Menuhin School
Moushumi Bhowmik, Vocalist, Ethnomusicologist, Kolkata
Alan Brown, Researcher and Management Consultant, WolfBrown, San Francisco
Jeremy Buckner, Director of Music Education, Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee
Fred Child, Host, Performance Today, American Public Media; Announcer/Commentator, Live from Lincoln Center, New York
Juan Antonio Cuellar Sáenz, Composer; Director, Fundacion Batuta, Bogotá, Colombia
Gerardo Tonatiuh Cummings Rendon, Director of Global Education, Bluefield College, Virginia
Sarah Derbyshire, Executive Director, Live Music Now UK, London
Aneliya Dimitrova, Manager, Music Publishing and Licensing, Justin Time Records, Montreal; Administrative Director, Montreal Chamber Music Society
Noam Faingold, Composer; Doctoral Candidate, Music Composition, King’s College, London
Odile Gakire Gatese, Founder, Ensemble Ingoma Nshya, Butare, Rwanda
Mark Gillespie, Artistic Manager, YOA Orchestra of the Americas, Arlington, Virginia; Co-Founder, Filarmónica Joven de Colombia
Andrea Giraldez, Professor, University of Valladolid, Spain
Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras, Master Teacher, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Performance, Opus 118, Harlem School of Music, New York
Violeta Hemsy de Gainza, Honorary President, FLADEM (Latin American Forum for Musical Education), Buenos Aires
Sujin Hong, Doctoral Student of Music, Europe BRAin and MUSic Program, University of Edinburgh
Pierre Jalbert, Composer; Professor of Composition and Theory, Rice University, Shepherd School of Music, Houston
Alexandros Kapelis, Pianist, New York and Brussels
Charles Kaye, Director and General Manager, World Orchestra for Peace, London
Vimbayi Kaziboni, Conductor and Artistic Director, What’s Next Ensemble, Los Angeles
Ghislaine Kenyon, Arts Consultant, London
Artyom Kim, Artistic Director and Conductor, Omnibus Ensemble, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Jildiz Kudaibergen, Manager, Manas Chamber Orchestra, Bishkek
Celia Lowenstein, Film producer and director,
Ken MacLeod, President, New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Moncton, Canada
Fiona Maddocks, Music Critic, The Observer, London
Maria Majno, Vice-President and Coordinator, “Neurosciences and Music” Series, Mariani Foundation, Milan; Task Force ”Sistema Orchestre Giovanili”, Italy; President, European Mozart Ways
Stephen E. McAdams, Canada Research Chair in Music Perception and Cognition, Department of Music Theory, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal
Lisa McCormick, Professor of Sociology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania; Member, Editorial Board, Music & Art in Action
Hiroko Miyakawa, Communication Officer, External Relations, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC
Peter Moser, Artistic Director and CEO, More Music, Morecambe, United Kingdom
Dino Mulic, Pianist; Instructor of Piano, Sarajevo Music Academy, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Maria Sherla Najera, Chair, Department of Music Education, University of the Philippines, Quezon City
Martin Neary, Organist and Choral Conductor; former Master of the Choristers, Westminster Abbey, London
Julian Philips, Composer; Head of Composition, Guildhall School of Music, London
Brent Reidy, Consultant, AEA Consulting, New York; Former Executive Director, Music for Tomorrow, New Orleans
Lloyd Shorter, Assistant Professor, Oboe, University of Delaware
John Sloboda,  Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Music, Royal Holloway, University of London; Professor Emeritus, Psychology Department, Keele University
Jennifer Stasack, Professor and Chair of Music, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina
Ian Stoutzker, Founder Chairman, Live Music Now, London
Victoria Tcacenco, Professor of Music, Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts, Chisinau, Moldavia
Claudia Toni, Advisor, Padre Anchieta Foundation, Cultura Radio and TV, Sao Paulo; Former Music Advisor, São Paulo State Secretariat of Culture
Aubrey Tucker, Assistant Divison Chair, Fine Arts, Spech and Commercial Music, Houston Community College; Member, National Association of Record  Industry Professionals (NARIP)
Dobson West, Chair, Board of Directors, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minneapolis
Jane Haugen West, Medical Doctor, Minneapolis
Paulo Zuben, Composer; Musicologist; Chief Executive Officer, Santa Marcelina Cultura, São Paulo

 I think that the statement speaks for itself.  Please circulate it and take whatever actions you can to achieve universal music availability.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal