Promoting Social Cohesion through Music – A Pilot research study in the Eastern Province

Sevalanka Foundation together with the Department of Education, Eastern Province and UNICEF is implementing a pilot research study on social cohesion. This project intends to use music as a tool as well as an alternative language which helps communicate and brings children from different communities together in harmony.
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Children as “Change Agents for the Future” can use this opportunity to promote exposure and respect to diverse cultures, while sharing their experiences and feelings to build their knowledge in musical expressions. The project “Promoting Social Cohesion through Music” is implemented as a pilot project in the Eastern province and this bottom up approach in building social cohesion hopes to serve as a model in bringing sustainable peace in the years to come.

Two groups, each comprising of 18 children from different communities have been formed in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts, to champion this pilot.  While children from group A will follow trainings using instruments only (recorders using Western Music), group B would follow vocal, plus instruments recommended in Oriental and Carnatic music curriculums.  The trainings will be conducted in three phases for a period of 12 months.
 
The above grouping has enabled to measure the changes in terms of the increased interactions between children in a more systematic way.  Both groups are following one or two common songs, which would allow the children to perform together at the symposium. The common events scheduled every quarter are a platform to showcase the talents and to exhibit any improvements in terms of positive changes among children.   Concerned education stakeholders both from national and provincial levels will be invited to these common events.  After the initiation, the first three months mainly focused on setting the ground such as selection of schools, students and trainers, establishing networks with music practitioners and music institutions, etc. The schools have been selected in consultation with the PDE’s office through a list of context specific criteria that would be developed by the external evaluation group. Similarly the last three months of the project period would include the end-line study, finalization of documents, handing over of instruments to schools and wrapping up while ensuring sustainability. Finally based on evaluation results, the model will be presented to the National Institute of Education and other relevant institutions.