P.E.A.C.E. Projects 2022
In the Spring of 2022, I facilitated the three sessions of Stories Through Song {Music and Social Change} P.E.A.C.E. Project at the Graham and Parks School, Cambridge, MA and Haggerty Elementary School, Cambridge, MA. Alastair Moock, musician/composer, was paid per session through the non-profit Folk New England opens in a new tab, using the Social Justice curriculum.
Who Participated?
There were five fourth-grade classes participating and ten teachers/staff including two music teachers, one counselor, and one citywide Health Equity Specialist. The students were prepared for the topics of the Labor Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Anti-War Movement, which made the sessions vital and the conversations timely. Alastair conducted additional Question-and-Answer Huddles after each session. These students were extremely curious about life and the history they are currently living through.
It was truly a learning experience, even as someone who has studied these topics extensively. I enjoyed the combination of songs, singing and history lessons. I also appreciated the way that when students asked a challenging and loaded question, that the singer was able to answer with confidence and push the conversation to another level so that the young people could learn more about what it looks like to take a stand against injustices. I really loved how the singer addressed less popularly known activists and raised awareness of their strides towards social justice.
I loved how the singer was vulnerable and shared his personal experiences around making a sacrifice in order to make room for his Black peers. — Social Justice, Health Equity Specialist, Cambridge Public Health Department.
We were thrilled to welcome Alastair Moock and Folk New England back to our school this spring. Throughout the school year, our 4th graders explore social change movements and how people have made positive change in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to enhancing our study of labor rights movements of the 1800s and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Moock’s “Music & Social Change: Singing Their Way Through” program also allowed students to draw parallels to other social change movements.
“During Moock’s discussion of farm workers’ rights, a student referenced the similarities between the Dust Bowl labor activists and the work of Cesar Chavez and his United Farm Workers Union in the mid 1900s. Moock beautifully blended music, discussion, and visuals to help students understand the influence of music on past, present, and future social change movements.
After many years of separation due to the pandemic, it was moving to see my students hand-in-hand singing “We Shall Overcome” along with Alastair Moock. A huge thank you to Alastair and Folk New England and P.E.A.C.E. for making this moment and this program possible for our 4th grade community! — Grade 4 Teacher, Graham and Parks School, Cambridge, MA
Submitted by Karen Kosko
