Introduction: In the 181 days of 2023, the LY Accompany with Music has made organized progress in four main areas: classroom construction, music education, child home visits, and fundraising. In this report, we will provide an overview of the progress made in the first half of the year and outline the plans for the second half of the year for our partners who support the Accompany with Music.
“On weekends, I'm afraid to go home, I don't want to go back. It's very dark at night, and I'm the only one at home. I dare not close my eyes, I dare not sleep alone.” ——A second-grade girl from Songlin Primary School.
On January 1, 2023, the LY Foundation and the Yunnan Heart to Heart Community Foundation jointly launched the Accompany with Music, with the Xixin Social Work Service Center in Nanjian County as the executing organization. The Accompany with Music aims to connect with each other through music and provide daily companionship, psychological comfort, and life support to the children of Songlin Primary School in Bixi Township, Nanjian County, Yunnan Province. Six months have passed since the official launch of the program, and various activities planned for the program have gradually been implemented. As of June 30th, the Accompany with Music has been developed along four main lines: Classroom construction, music education, child home visits, and fundraising. The progress of the program is reported as follows.
Music Space Construction and Utilization
On March 1st, the Accompany with Music was launched, and a musical instrument donation ceremony was held at Songlin Primary School. During the ceremony, The LY Foundation donated a batch of musical instruments worth 20,000 CNY for the construction of the school's music space. The music classroom has been completed and equipped with over ten musical instruments, including lusheng, hulusi, ukulele, hand drums, guitar, erhu, and more, all of which are used for daily music education.
Ethnic Musical Instrument Education and Performances
Since the launch ceremony on March 1st, the music classroom has been open for use. The LY Foundation invited Mr. He Weicheng, a traditional ethnic music heritage teacher from Nanjian, to provide lessons for the children every Wednesday and Thursday from 14:00 to 16:30. The music courses have now provided 39 teaching sessions, serving over 2,500 students from the entire school, including all the targeted children (left-behind and children in difficulty). On Children's Day, June 1st, with the guidance of The LY Foundation, the Yunnan Heart to Heart Community Foundation, and the Nanjian Xixin Social Work Service Center, Songlin Primary School successfully held the first Arts and Culture Performance of the Accompany with Music . During the performance, a band mainly composed of left-behind and children in difficulty presented a wonderful ensemble of Yunnan ethnic music titled “Sounds of Songlin”, bringing joy and laughter to the audience.
Accompaniment and Home Visits for Children in Difficulty
Home visits are conducted by a team consisting of Nanjian Xixin Social Work Service Center’s social workers and Songlin Primary School teachers. From February to June, the home visit team has carried out home visits 46 times, covering 39 students, including 12 left-behind and children in difficulty who are the primary focus of the Accompany with Music. The home visit information has been further organized and placed in the individual files of each student to facilitate the formulation of work guidelines for the second half of the year.
Donations and Fundraising from Caring Individuals
On May 27-28, The LY Foundation promoted the Accompany with Music at the Five Hundred Li Music Festival and attracted the active participation of well-known local Yunnan musicians and groups, including Yunnan Yingxiang, Big Tongue, Nanzhengbeizhan, and Duan Weili. As of June 29, a total of 2,396 caring individuals have donated, with a total donation amount of 19,287 CNY. This fund has already been allocated for use in the summer camp, teaching maintenance, the purchase of new musical instruments, and the renovation of the music classroom.
181 days may not be enough to completely transform lives, but what we can do is implement the plan in a tangible way, harnessing the power of music, individual efforts, and the children's own strength to provide companionship where care is lacking. Let music become a bridge of communication and let love re-enter the hearts of these children.
In the second half of the year, The LY Foundation will build on the experience gained in the first half, continue to implement existing activities, and bring even more diverse and enriching cultural and entertainment activities to the children. The work plan will be divided into five aspects:
Launch a Summer Camp
The “Young Generation · Songlin Primary School Accompany with Music Dream Growth Camp” is scheduled to open in late July and conclude in mid-August. The summer camp will focus on “Minority Culture Education and Music Education”, enriching the summer vacation life of left-behind and children in difficulty and providing them with care and companionship.
Transition to Multi-threaded and Personalized Curriculum Arrangements
Regular introductory music classes will be held for all students, and small-group classes of 50 students will be offered to those with a strong interest in music. After training and practice, these students will have the opportunity to participate in provincial music competitions and performances.
Continuation of Home Visit Work
The focus of home visits will remain on left-behind and children in difficulty, with visits being extended to all students. Based on the actual situation of the children's families, material assistance and social assistance will be provided accordingly.
Deepen Program Professionalism
Child psychology experts will be invited to provide professional guidance for the Accompany with Music. This will involve assessing the impact and actual effects of the music program on the children's psychological well-being and trying to establish generalizable practices. Additionally, experts will provide training to local primary school teachers in child psychology and mental health to build a strong team of local youth mental health educators.
Regular Information Disclosure and Updates
On a monthly basis, the Accompany with Music's progress will be publicly disclosed through text, images, videos, and other formats via The LY Foundation's official platforms.
"What should the slogan be?"
“Accompany with Music, children, loneliness, fear, night, future, soul. How about ‘With music, childern shall not be afraid of dark’!”
Together, with the healing power of local music, let's work tirelessly so that countless children, like the second-grade girl at Songlin Primary School, no longer fear the night, can blossom in health, break free from the darkness, and have an equally bright future. As midsummer fades and late summer begins, in those days accompanied by music, it seems... the smiles on the children's faces have grown a bit more.
Author: Yufan | Review: Victor
