Peace Projects 2023
The P.E.A.C.E Projects is an initiative to sponsor and mentor early childhood educators, in promoting Peace Education for young children in the classroom.
Sponsored by Karen Kosko opens in a new tab
Graham & Parks School, New Cambridge, MA
This year, I had my second chance to experience Alastair Moock’s amazing program about Music for Social Change. As a singer myself, I certainly enjoyed the musical aspects of the program, and Alastair’s participatory approach to having the students sing along really engaged them. My students are all English Language Learners who are new to the USA, which can make accessing this content challenging, but the pictures Alastair included in his slides made the presentation comprehensible for them. They really enjoyed learning about the history of social change movements through this program.
Grade 4 Teachers from the Graham & Parks School commented:
Alastair Moock’s three-part series on Music and Social Change is the perfect complement to our year-long focus on social movements. My class starts each day singing, and music is a really effective modality for them to learn, so Alastair’s focus on history through music is a great match for our students.
We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Alastair Moock and Folk New England. Our 4th graders were engaged and inspired by Alastair’s “Stories Through Song” program. Alastair Moock’s expertise played a crucial role in our curriculum which focuses on the power of social change movements throughout U.S. history. All year students had been exploring the social change movements of our nation’s history and how people have worked to make positive change in our country. Alastair Moock’s presentation was directly linked to our study of migrant farmers’ labor rights during the Dust Bowl era and African American changemakers of the Civil Rights movement. Alastair’s program also gave our students another lens through which to realize the power of protests, strikes, boycotts, and the human spirit. The balance of music, discussion, and visual support allowed all students to understand the influence of music on past, present, and future social change. music on past, present, and future social change.
Musician Alastair Moock shared:
“I performed my program “Music and Social Change” for students at the Graham and Parks in Cambridge in three 45-minute installments this spring. Students learned how Woody Guthrie and others used music to help inspire striking workers during the Great Depression; how Dr. King, John Lewis, and others used music to demonstrate strength and unity during the early years of Civil Rights; how Rosa Parks trained in civil disobedience at the Highlander Folk School; how Pete Seeger helped usher “We Shall Overcome” from the Labor Rights movement to the Civil Rights movement; and how Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and others learned from Civil Rights, bringing music to the anti-Vietnam War movement. Kids walked away with a deeper understanding of American history and the many ways in which music has been used as a tool to affect social change.”
Some video clips from Alastair Moock’s Music and Social Change program for children:
Some of the 4th grade student comments:
I also learned about music and social change. I learned that music can be very powerful and it can be used to learn and make change. I also learned about many changemakers. I learned about how Woody Guthrie used songs for change, how Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had different ways to make change and so much more.
I enjoyed when he talked about historical time periods that happened not a long time ago like the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. I really enjoyed singing Be a Pain and learning about Alastair Moock’s family like how his daughter had cancer.
I enjoyed Alastair’s songs and they really inspired me.What I enjoyed the most about Alastair Moock’s visits is how he didn’t only talk about music but he talked about the people that either made the music, or was an inspiration for music.
