Music Basti connects at-risk children, youth and artists, with the aim to inspire growth and a sense of community through a creative and joyful music learning experience. The project was set up in 2008, and is managed and administered by Integrated Development Education Association (IDEA), a registered Association established in 1991.
In 2013, Music Basti created the ‘ReSound’ program that marked a decided move forward towards the realisation of the founding belief in a ‘community led approach’ to music education for social upliftment in India. It is a music-teaching program that involves the recruitment of highly proficient musicians, a training period with the help of mentors and partners, and teaching over 250 at-risk children and youth in the first year, and 150 in the second. Along with this, the project is simultaneously the developing a program curriculum, and conceptualizing a sophisticated evaluation schema to measure the success and weakness of the program.
The communities and slum areas in the National Capital Region where Music Basti projects are implemented see poor access to formal or holistic education for children. As a result, children have very poor skills in creativity, self-expression, communication, and collaboration with their peers, and as a result also engage in anti-social behavior. Music learning in particular, has many positive benefits for child development, assisting with social-emotional learning, creativity, physical motor skills, language and comprehension, and overall literacy. Music performance helps overcome fear, and boosts confidence and self-esteem. In addition, through group music learning, children learn cooperation, sharing, compromise, creativity, and concentration – skills that become invaluable as they enter school, face new challenges, and begin to form new friendships and develop social skills.
Further Information – http://www.musicbasti.org
