The Music Bus Goes Middle East raises awareness of diabetes

Musicians without Borders has joined forces with Holy Land Trust in Bethlehem. Holy Land Trust’s mission is to "Strengthen the Community for the Future," and to further disseminate this vision, they seek partnerships with other organizations.

World Diabetes Day
Through this cooperation, we organized a music workshop for children on the World Diabetes Day, together with the Diabetic Friends' Society Bethlehem and inhabitants of the al-Masara village.

Modern epidemic
November 14 was World Diabetes Day. This year, the theme was children with diabetes. Every day, another 200 children around the world are affected by the disease. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), 10% of the population suffers from diabetes.

Free testing
Two new MwB trainees, Zainab and Yasmeen, are volunteering for the Diabetes Friends' Society Bethlehem. In the morning, the group traveled to al-Masara where the Diabetic Friends' Society provided free testing of blood pressure and blood sugar, followed up by a doctor in case of need.

Al-Masara Village
Al-Masara is a beautiful village inhabited by about 850 Palestinians. Many villagers are farmers, cultivating their lands, growing olives, grapes and making honey. However, the occupation and its Wall have cut farmers from their beloved lands. Many children in al-Masara live under the poverty line and experience stress from the regular incursions by the occupation army at night.

Music and Movement Workshop
While doctors and nurses were taking care of the mothers, children were given a music workshop in the local kindergarten. Physical action is one of the basic tools in preventing stress and diabetes, so the children danced and moved a lot in the workshop.

Music Bus Goes Middle East
Middle East blog
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Youth Theater Srebrenica received special award

Monday 27 September Musicians without Borders participated in the 10th Youth Theater Festival Republic Srpska, Bosnia Herzegovina, with the performance 'Beasts and Beauties'. Nine other youth theater groups participated in the festival.

The jury was very positive about Beasts and Beauties. The performance was something different, using live music very refreshing for theater in Bosnia Herzegovina and the choreography was on a high level. 

The jury awarded Beasts and Beauties with a special award for scene movement and choreography.

'Beasts and Beauties' is collaboration between B-Smisao, Opera Circus, Youth Council Srebrenica and Musicians without Borders. 

Mitrovica Rock School part of major new project

MwB project the Mitrovica Rock School has joined a coalition of seven of the most effective civil society organizations in Mitrovica. Together, they will open the Center for Resources, Youth and Media (CRYM).

Empowering youth
CRYM aims to empower and activate Mitrovica's largest demographic group: youth and young adults. In addition to the Rock School's North branch, the CRYM Building will house a youth center (the "CRYM Club"), a media center and radio station, offices for all seven organizations, and the "CRYMcubator," where young people can develop their own initiatives.

CRYM Coalition
The CRYM Coalition is formed by: CCSD, Jazas, AFPK, CBM, Contact Plus Radio, M-M@G and the Media Center, and the Mitrovica Rock School.

Bridging the Divide
CRYM is part of Bridging the Divide, a major new project developed by, among others, MwB partner Community Building Mitrovica and supported by SPARK. The project covers an extensive set of infrastructural upgrades on both sides of the city, bi-lingual e-magazine M-M@G, and the CRYM Building and Coalition.

Bridging the Divide is supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dutch trainers to work at MwB project in Kosovo

Today, Dutch trainers Joosje Jochems and Eric Wels will arrive in Mitrovica, Kosovo, to work at the Mitrovica Rock School for a whole month.

Joosje is a senior-year student at MwB partner Fontys Rock Academy, where she's majoring in vocals and has her own band, Jane Dare. Joosje is already well known within the Rock School, after joining us in Skopje for the 2009 Summer School and visiting Mitrovica in September to perform at the Rock School's Official Opening. Watch Joosje working with Rock School singer Gjylisha during last year's Summer School:




Eric is a bass player and sound engineer, and works across the street from the Rock Academy at Factorium, a school for popular music, dance and theater. Eric met with the Rock School team when they visited Factorium during the training week organized by MwB and the Fontys Rock Academy in March 2010. Here's a video of Eric participating in a different international music project, aimed at setting up a recording studio and music school in Fortaleza, Brazil:



Eric and Joosje will stay in Mitrovica until July 4, and look forward to a month of intensive training and of course a lot of opportunities to perform!

Mitrovica Rock School participates in MasterPeace

On May 5 (Dutch Liberation Day), the Mitrovica Rock School, a Musicians without Borders project, will participate in the prelaunch of a major international music production: MasterPeace.


MasterPeace is an initiative of Ilco van der Linde (Bevrijdingspop Festival, Dance4Life). On May 5, famous Dutch composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven will present his production 20'14''. The name refers to the length of the piece, but also to the final year of the MasterPeace campaign: 2014.


In 20'14'', Merlijn wil use music composed and performed by students of the Rock School's two branches. The production will be performed with live musicians at the Bevrijdingspop Festival in Haarlem (NL) at 20:30 hrs. We hope to post a YouTube link shortly after!


Here's an article on MasterPiece in Vrij Nederland (in Dutch).










2008 Bevrijdingspop Festival

Message to children of the Music Bus

The Dutch classic pianist Valentina Tóth (15 years old) is MwB's latest youth ambassador. On November 29, 2009 she performed in a benefit concert at Cristofori, Amsterdam. After this concert she gave an interview and had a special message for all children of the Music Bus both in Bosnia and Herzegovina as in Palestine.

Valentina Tóth als jeugdambassadeur MwB

Zaterdag 28 november traden Valentina Tóth en Trio d’Anches op tijdens een benefietconcert voor Musicians without Borders bij Cristofori in hartje Amsterdam. Voor de 15-jarige klassiek pianiste Valentina Tóth was het haar eerste optreden als jeugdambassadeur van Musicians without Borders.

Haar liefde voor muziek, de emoties en helende werking die zij bij het pianospelen ervaart, verbinden haar met de kinderen in de MwB-projecten, zoals de Muziekbus in Bosnië-Herzegovina en Palestina. Voor Valentina betekent haar ambassadeurschap een mooie manier om de behoeften van kinderen in deze conflictgebieden onder de aandacht te brengen, en geld in te zamelen voor instrumenten die zij nodig hebben. Deze avond speelde zij ondermeer stukken van Grieg, Debussy en Chopin.



Voor meer info over Valentina: klik hier.