For 50 years, JM Norway has worked to give children and young people access to culture. – Musical participation can create changes in people and society.
/ 08/05/2020 / Kristian DugstadHave you seen a piano at an airport in Norway? At Oslo S, while you were waiting for the train, or in the Nordkapphallen while you were admiring the view? Maybe someone sat down and played a phrase, and maybe you thought it was nice.
But do you know who put them there?
– It's a little Achilles' heel, that's exactly it. We are much more concerned with telling people about our projects than with being the ones behind them. As long as we do the projects justice and reach our target group, we can live with the fact that not everyone has heard of us, says Ingunn Sand.
She is the general manager of JM Norway, the organization responsible for projects such as LOUD!, an annual band camp for young girls and transgender people, the exchange project for young musicians MOVE, the international folk music camp ethno and of course also Parked Piano.
For 50 years, the Norwegian branch of Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) has worked to ensure that all children and young people have access to culture. Why?
– Musical participation can create changes in people and society.
The international organization JMI was founded in the aftermath of World War II in 1945. With the vision of "Making a difference through music," they have worked for the musical development of children and young people for 75 years.
– The slogan is felt to be just as relevant today. Culture is a central driving force in societal development, a key to learning, development and innovation, and a door opener for dialogue between people and culture. Unfortunately, we experience that not all children and young people have equal access to cultural life, says Sand.
– Musical participation can create changes in people and society.
Through its many projects, JM Norway therefore works actively to provide access to music, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, economy, ethnicity and background.
– For Norwegian cultural life to succeed in the future, we see that the most important thing we can contribute is to ensure that gender roles and cultural barriers are challenged, and that social and economic differences are overcome.
Through camps, training and exchanges, JM Norway works to achieve these goals, in Norway and across borders.
Musician, artist and composer Selma French Bolstad is one of those who has crossed national borders through the JM Norway project MOVE. She went more or less straight from school at Ski High School to a ten-month exchange stay in Malawi in Southeast Africa.
– It was a tough but very important year for me. At a very young age, I was thrown into a freelance existence. It was brutal, but I don't know if I would have dared to be freelance today if it weren't for MOVE"It was inspiring to meet musicians who live under different circumstances," says Bolstad.
Today she works as a professional freelance musician in projects such as Måsåva, Kristian Kristensen, Siv Jakobsen and Morgonrode. Last week she received the Spellemannpris in Folk Music for the latter's self-titled debut album.
Even after the exchange, Bolstad has continued to be involved in JM Norway's projects. Folk music in particular has played a central role in her continued work with the organization.
– Selma was tough when she traveled to Malawi. Afterwards, she has worked with Ethno, our camp for international folk music, among other things. She puts traditional music and folk music into an international context, says Ingunn Sand.
Through Ethno, JMI gives young people a unique opportunity to get to know people from other cultures and their musical traditions.
– JM is a bank of good initiatives that front and support young people who are involved in music, through music. Through them, you can meet musicians from other parts of the world and get new inspiration, says Bolstad.
This week, JM Norway marks 50 years of working for social change and personal development through music for children and young people.
– We think it is worth celebrating that we have maintained our relevance 50 years after we were established in Norway. The demand for our projects shows that we are actually more relevant than ever, says Ingunn Sand.
On Thursday morning, Selma French Bolstad and fellow musician Ibou Cissokho set up shop on a green spot in a backyard in Oslo and held a mini-concert in honor of the jubilarian.
Like the rest of the cultural industry, JM Norway's celebration is characterized by public infection control measures.
– We had actually planned a big kickoff at Sentralen, and several events during the year. However, it really fits our profile so well that we take the music out and give it as a gift to a backyard in Oslo. Where everyone is allowed to participate. That way we erase any barriers to participation, says Sand.
