From Bullet to Fiddle

is a Scientific Study concept posing the question: Music making in every classroom, what could happen?

The purpose of the study!

The purpose of the study is to demonstrate how musical class-rooms involving all children could build a world with tolerance and respect for all! A world where punitive measures can be drastically cut! Would there be wars in streets, in schools, in homes, in battlefields… if music was allowed to penetrate many class-rooms?

Study strategy

We intend to identify a few small-size pilot communities/mini-worlds in a few countries, communities with varied socio-economic conditions. Every child – from the first year in pre-school to the last day in high school – in our mini-worlds, will receive keys to the worlds of music by learning to sing and to play instruments as part of every school-day. Every child will get to make music together, singing in choirs and playing in orchestras.
Every classroom will be a musical classroom.

Professional, Motivating Music Teachers Offered Stimulating Job Descriptions are crucial for success!

The study concept requires professional, dedicated and structured music pedagogues/musicians. Our pilot communities will be asked to provide every music teacher with job descriptions with salaries are comparable to regular class-room teachers. Working conditions have to allow family life and need to be paired with musical challenges outside of class-rooms. Music teachers can become “hubs” for a vibrant cultural life including all ages in our pilot communities.

Scientists from worlds of pedagogy, psychology, medicine, criminology and economy!

We intend to engage scientists who will be given the task to follow, observe, document and present what happens both inside and outside school walls in our “mini-worlds”.

Our Scientists will be asked to find answers to questions like:

How can musical classrooms affect life in streets and in all corners of society? How can activities in music making classrooms, involving every child in a community, affect crime, recruiting efforts to criminal gangs, drug vending, drug abuse and social problems of many kinds? Can investing in the Arts – with music as the portal to reach and involve all children in musical activities every school-day – become an economic stimulus program on national levels? Can music become a portal to all Art forms?

Can keys to the worlds of the Arts prevent young people from destructivity?

Our vision is that big “monies” are better spent on building minds and developing creative and artistic skills in many young people rather than being invested in short time patch work fighting destruction with no lasting effects. Repressive measures swallow enormous resources but accomplish small results in a long time perspective.

Can the Arts become “transformative instruments” starting with music making involving young people as the portal?

Could billions of Euros spent on musical class-rooms make a difference?

Did you know that Sweden, with its ten million inhabitants, is spending roughly 20 billion Euros every year fighting crime? With our study we want to find out if and how we, by involving all our two million children between the ages 2-19 in daily music programs in regular schools, could reduce costs on national levels for fighting destructive behaviors.

Could investing in musical class-rooms for all children result not only in monetary savings on national levels but also reduce and heal many social problems?

Economy of the Study and the Festival

The Study and the Festival will need economical support from independent sources world wide. We hope to receive support from corporations, foundations and private donors from all corners of the world. We do not expect our pilot communities to suddenly “invest big” in a Study program that has yet to obtain scientific verification that musical class-rooms really does affect all corners of their communities.

Music makes our hearts more gentle!

To our donors and supporters we want to convey the message that by supporting our venture you may contribute to identify new ways to change direction of a world that tends more to solve conflicts by violence than constructive dialogue between people.

We believe that minds that have opened thanks to the influence and perspectives of the Arts are more open for constructive and respectful dialogue. As Maestro Riccardo Muti expressed it in his “thank-you-speech” when he received the Birgit Nilsson prize 2011: “Music makes our hearts more gentle!”