World Brass Association Online Orchestra for Peacefulness

A Worldwide Children & Youth Orchestra Project

Our idea 

The Worldwide Online Children & Youth Band "WBA Band for Peacefulness" uses music to connect children and young people from all parts of the world. It is a non-profit project for peacefulness and harmony. 

Music is a universal language that connects people all over the world. We want to create a peaceful and joyful community with music, education, and cultural exchanges. In this project participants will learn about music online and collaborate together. Participants of different nationalities will connect with each other and learn about other cultures. A project for people who love music by people who love music.

Who we are?

The World & European Brass Association (WBA & EBA) is a cooperation of worldwide and European Festivals, Universities, Orchestras, Opera- and Concert Houses, Music Institutions, Musicians etc., founded by Prof. Otto Sauter and Prof. Sabine Kierdorf in cooperation with leading international brass musicians and professors. Together, a team of Professors and students of the WBA International Online Trumpet Academy have made this project possible and are expanding it.

What do we offer?

We offer children & young people the opportunity to learn from professional musicians, high level professors, and music students around the world, and to expand their musical and cultural knowledge. All participants connect once a week for the group lessons online. In these lessons they will learn the basics of rhythm in special lessons of body percussion and how to read music. 

They will create their own percussion instruments, using objects that are easy to find in everyday life all over the world. After the lessons, they will record the music and upload their video. This will be combined with other videos, to create one performance video of all participants, supported by our team of brass students of the WBA International Online Trumpet Academy. These videos will be published regularly on the WBA and partner institutions social media accounts. We are inviting children & young people from all over the world to join our "WBA Band for Peacefulness".

When does it take place?

Sundays, 17.00 Berlin time

How does it work technically?

The project takes place online via Zoom. All lessons are recorded and can be watched any time by the participants on dropbox. 

Who can participate? 

Children from the age of 9, teenagers and young adults are welcome to participate. You should understand basic English or ask someone for translation, since all communiation is in English. It is not necessary to have an instrument or to know how to play it. You just need to have a cell phone or computer with internet connection to join the classes and to record the required videos. 

What does it cost? 

The participation is completely free of charge for all participants thanks to the principal support from The International Society for Arts, Education and Cultural Exchange e.V., a German non-profit organization. 

REQUIRED COMPETENCES 

In this project children & young people can take part with or without music knowledge. 

1. Children & young people with no or low music knowledge 

We will offer prepatory courses for participants to enter the "WBA Band for Peacefulness", teach them how to construct their own percussion instruments and how to play them.

2. Children & young people with music knowledge

If participants meet the following music competences, they can take part in the "WBA Band for Peacefulness" with their instrument:

Rhythm: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 

Music notation: whole note, half note, quarter note, octave note and relative rest notation

Tonalities: C Major, G Major, D Major, F Major, B-flat Major

Range with instrument: one and a half octaves for wind instruments, two octaves for strings

3. Instruments

• Percussion instruments (every student will built themself a couple of percussion instruments with inexpensive material that is easy to find)
• Wind instruments
• Strings

REQUIRED DEVICES AND MATERIALS

To follow the lessons:

• one smartphone or
• tablet or
• computer with webcam and mic
• Zoom - free version to participate in the lessons
• Dropbox - free version to download the material for the lessons

To record the individual video:

• earphones (for better listenig the metronome during the recording of the videos) and
• one additional device to run the metronome
• Dropbox - free version to upload the material for the videos

To build your own percussion instruments: 

• tape, plastic bucket, plastic or cardboard cylinder, rice, old tires etc.