To provide youth an opportunity to make global connections and inspire and empower them to use music to collaborate on creating the change they want to see in the world.
Peace Tracks was co-founded by the Plugged In Band Program (www.pluggedinband.org) in Boston, MA and MapWorks Learning (www.mapworkslearning.org/) in Washington, DC.
Each session begins with students sharing about themselves, their musical tastes, and their culture. Each band then selects a theme for their song about issues their generation or culture is facing and the positive change they want to create in the world. Each band then writes lyrics collaboratively, and creates, performs, records, and mixes music for their song using Soundtrap, a digital audio workstation. Next, each band creates a story board, gathers video footage, and edits their music video using WeVideo, a video editing platform. Occasional live video conferences on Zoom help students get to know each other better. The session culminates in a live-streamed concert on YouTube with participants celebrating each other’s work through a live chat. Classroom teachers from partner schools join Plugged In Band Program staff in facilitating and moderating interactions among the students.
Peace Tracks has been spreading by word of mouth. Peace Tracks also received a 2 year grant from the Stevens Initiative (part of the Aspen Institute).
Send an email to jointheband@peacetracks.org.