Keys of Change USA
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Mission Statement
Keys of Change is a charity formed by individuals who deeply believe that playing music can make this world a better place. Keys of Change aims to advance the lives of children and young people around the world through musical education and access to live classical music performances. The charity was set up by the international concert pianist Panos Karan, who works with two other trustees and a growing number of committed volunteers in many countries. "Music is one of the simplest yet strongest ways for individuals around the world to build bridges for peace and make a positive social change.” says Keys of Change founder, Panos Karan.
About This Cause
The benefits of music for people in distressed situations are now widely acknowledged, but many groups who could most benefit are denied access to music, because of their location, their circumstances or lack of money. It was to begin to address exactly this situation that Keys of Change was set up. For the past six years we have undertaken many projects around the world to advance the lives of children and young people through musical education and access to live classical music performances. It all started in early by the Greek-born international concert pianist Panos Karan, who works with two other trustees, all involved in music and/or education, and a growing number of committed volunteers in many countries. Over the past six years, Keys of Change has brought classical music, often for the first time, to deprived or suffering audiences, in remote areas of the Amazon basin, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Kolkata and the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima area in Japan, as well as in Greece, Russia and London. Our music has brought alive emotions - fascination, happiness, tears of sadness – and generated hope and encouragement. Wherever we go to perform, we also set up and fund musical education projects, working in conjunction with local music teachers and local organisations. In Ecuador, we organize weekly guitar lessons for young people from deprived backgrounds. In Uganda and Sierra Leone, we have provided instruments and music lessons for children from poor families. In Fukushima and India, we have made regular visits to work with young musicians to improve their playing, and give them the opportunity to perform in joint concerts with Keys of Change musicians. In the case of Fukushima, where we work in coordination with Fukushima local government, this has included our organising for 40 young Japanese musicians (now known as the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta) to perform in venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and the Symphony Hall in Boston. By bringing world-class music into the lives of people who rarely, if ever, have an opportunity hear music or learn to play an instrument, we have already made a positive impact on many lives. "Learning to play music has changed my life and that of people around me. Now I can see life differently," said a student in Ecuador. Our aim is not only to improve the lives of the young people we work with directly, but also to use music to reach wider audiences. The families of the young people and the communities where they live come to hear the young people play, and are encouraged and inspired by their progress. In Ecuador, the guitar group has visited hospitals to play for sick children. We encourage all our direct beneficiaries to “pass on” their musical experiences, so ever more people can benefit from having music in their lives. We are currently a small, committed group (three trustees, ten local teachers, twenty orchestral players, three volunteer administrators) working in total with about 200 young people in six locations worldwide. Over the past two years, more than 3,000 people have heard young people taught by Keys of Change play in concert halls in India, Ecuador, Japan and the USA, while countless others have been inspired by our music-making in orphanages, hospitals and other surroundings.