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Peace Through Music KosovoIn Kosovo Since 1999 |
School-Based Classes
On and off from 1999 to 2019, SMF offered weekly music classes in Gjakovë-area elementary and junior high schools. Classes were held weekly during the school year and twice weekly during the summer. Our students regularly performed in area festivals and concerts and become very fine singers and musicians. A group of these students were invited to the USA in July 2004 and August 2006, and performed concerts throughout the Midwest. Many program graduates are now Youth Teacher Volunteers.
Classes offered included the following:
- Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Pennywhistle
- Beginning and Advanced Harmonica
- Beginning and Advanced Drum
- Singing
Transit Shelter Camp Music Classes
The Transit Shelter Camps (for families without homes after the war) in Gjakove have now all closed, but the children born and raised there continue to be affected by their many years in the camps. Our work with these children best represents our basic mission: to offer war-impacted children opportunities for play, creativity, learning, self-expression, and relief from hardship. SMF offered weekly classes in the following:
- Beginning and Advanced Singing
- Beginning and Advanced Harmonica
- Musical Play for young children
Youth-Teacher Volunteer Program
SMF is based on the premise that a sustainable, locally-run program is in the best interests of war-affected communities. Training local volunteers also allows us to teach more children in more locations. Through Our Youth-Teacher Volunteer Program, senior volunteers lead bi-weekly training sessions in:
- Reading, writing, and counting music
- Singing
- Playing pennywhistle, harmonica, ukulele, guitar, drum, and piano
- Music pedagogy for children, including reading, counting, singing, and playing music
- Lesson planning and reporting
- Conducting
- Time management and employment skills
- Tolerance and peace training
- Leadership, integrity and honesty
- Reading, writing, and speaking English
Village Outreach
SMF provided music classes to children living in villages throughout the Gjakove region. These villages include Hereq, Dujake, Koronic, Gramacel, Sheramet, Dol, and many others. Classes included:
- Singing
- Reading music
- Beginning and Advanced Harmonica
- Beginning and Advanced pennywhistle
Minority Outreach
SMF provided music classes to children living in ethnic minority Roma communities. These children have extremely limited access to programs outside of their communities. In 2006, SMF hosted the first combined Albanian/Roma children’s concert. Classes included:
- Singing
- Reading music
- Beginning and Advanced Harmonica
- Beginning and Advanced pennywhistle































































Ukraine
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Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Poland
At least 12 million people have fled their homes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We're establishing a program right now in Łódź, Poland, teaching harmonica, singing, and ukulele classes up to eight hours a day, six days a week. The needs among the Ukrainian population are immense, and our program is making an impact!
Bangladesh
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Serving Street Children & Rohingya Refugees
Bangladesh is home to approximately 1.6 million Rohingya Refugees, living in some of the largest Refugee camps in the world. Bangladesh is also one of the poorest countries on the earth, with over 31% of its population living below the poverty line, with limited access to any type of education. PTMI is making a significant impact in the lives of both Rohingya and Bangladeshi children.
Utah
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Refugees Living in Salt Lake City
More than 60,000 refugees or "new Americans" live in Utah. Young people must make a difficult adjustment-- learning not only a new language but a whole new way of life. With the help of an incredible group of teenage volunteers, our program Salt Lake City program is reaching young people in the Granite School District.
Arizona
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Rescued Afghan Refugees
As the Taliban conducted their swift take-over of Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled for their lives. A large group of refugees is living in temporary shelters in the Phoenix area as they await more permanent housing. Our program is providing ukulele lessons up to four times a week for women and children caught in this limbo.
Refugee Camps in Greece
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Refugee Camps in Greece
The war in Syria was at the root of the worst refugee crisis since WWII. Children were both targeted and recruited, and families left Syria by the millions. SMF built a program not just for Syrian refugees, but also Kurdish, Afghan and Yazidi children and teenagers-- all in Greek refugee camps. The program provided structure and much-needed opportunities for achievement and self expression.
Kosovo
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Peace Through Music Kosovo
The war in Kosovo ended in 1999, but the affects of this war-- poverty, intolerance, segregation, racism--were experienced every day for many years, especially by children raised in camps and those living in minority communities. For two decades SMF worked with the children and teenagers of Kosovo to develop self esteem, tolerance, and a love of peace through music.
Northern Ireland
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Peace Through Music Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland schools continue to be 93% segregated between Catholics and Protestants. Bombs explode or are discovered weekly, and riots take place monthly. Murals of men wearing balaclavas and holding guns are on homes and businesses everywhere. Children and adults alike suffer from low self esteem and intolerance as they experience anger and violence daily. SMF is working to bring children together from both sides of the community, forming life-long and life-changing relationships through music.
Uganda
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Peace Through Music Uganda
Northern Uganda continues to recover from a brutal civil war in which approximately 66,000 children were kidnapped and forced to become soldiers and 2 million people were displaced internally from 1986 to 2009. Many lived in IDP camps, where they experienced malnutrition and extreme poverty. From 2005 until 2017, The Shropshire Music Foundation ran programs in Gulu and surrounding areas in an IDP camp, 3 primary schools, and 2 high schools that served, among others: former child soldiers, unwanted children born to child soldiers, child mothers, and Night Commuters (children who commuted nightly to evade kidnappers).