Feb 14th/2010
Moo Baan Dek Children's Village - Thailand
As Clown Eckies truck entered the forest at Moo Baan Dek it was obvious to me that I had reached someplace special. We were on our way to Bangkok from Sangklaburi and I had convinced Eddie http://gohappiness.org/ to stop so we could see this alternative school/orphanage that has been a haven for so many since it's formation in 1979.
37 KM's from Kanchanaburi (Bridge over River Kwai and Death Railway fame) on the river Kwae, Moo Baan Dek seemed kind of calm and serene for a place with 150 children. We followed the winding dirt road past the football field, volleyball court, houses and classrooms looking for someone named Khun Rajani (Mae Ow). Eddie stopped at what we guessed was the office and there she was standing out front with a smile that made me feel like I was home from a long journey.
Mae Ow was kind enough to offer me a quick tour and explanation of Moo Baan Dek (see link above). The children are younger than what I am used to working with and they don't speak English. Attendance to morning classes and afternoon workshops is optional. At first it seemed a bit daunting but her energy and the beauty of this place she has created is magnetic. By the time I got back to the truck I had committed myself, telling her I would return in a few weeks. Life is a river.
Feb 18th/2010
Yesterday we went over the first version of their song. It's Called Cheewit (Life) and it's about taking care of each other no matter what life brings. Next week we will record the music and vocals and the following week we'll head out with the camera and a guitar and shoot the video. During this program I am giving the cameras to the kids to see what they come up with. Each class they take turns shooting video and stills and each night I review the footage.
English teaching seems to be best taught on the fly and not in a 'sit at your desk and memorize' fashion. I am learning as much Thai as the kids are learning English so it's a good trade off.
The river seems to be where the action is and everyday I try to make it down for one of the sessions. The water is just the right temp and the dock is fantastic for jumping and diving from. I keep forgetting to take my camera. I'm sure there will be some footage in the music video.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for the first ever Thai song from MSI.
If you want to keep informed please use the RSS feature on the site. If you click the orange square the rest should be self explanatory.
Some of the band with their lyrics.
Baan Dada - Sangklaburi Thailand
December 3/09
After being held up in Bangkok getting the video camera and computer fixed, we finally arrived in Sangklaburi yesterday morning and took a Songteaw (truck) to Baan Dada near the Three Pagoda Pass. The original plan of Whispering Seeds Orphanage has been changed slightly as Baan Dada is a larger facility in the same area. There are 60 kids here and for the first time in MSI history I will be working with a real band (The Lazy Monkeys). They'll be writing their first original composition and the rest of the music students here will write the lyrics for it. Stay tuned for the video that will showcase this exceptional facility. Click on the link if you want to see more. www.baandada.org
In the day the pre-schoolers are going to be learning english via sing-a-longs. At night I am with the Lazy Monkeys teaching singing, lyric writing and songwriting. They are learning to use Garage Band and should be able to start recording their own material in a few weeks. There are 15 music students all together and a dozen pre-schoolers.
The food is fantastic and the mosquitos are being kept at bay by the cool nights here in the hills. There are 8 volunteers and everyone seems really happy. If you are looking for a shot of happiness and a change of scenery consider a volunteer stint here.
Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible this winter.
Dec 14/09
Heading for Kanchanaburi with the band...
This trip is about mentoring as well as songwriting. After traveling with the band to their gigs in Kanchanaburi this weekend to help them raise funds for their current and future music education, it became apparent that my experience being in a touring rock band back in the 80's is going to be very useful. The band has no original material at this point but their first song is almost finished and this week we will be reviewing the video I made of the live performance, fixing the issues with the current material, learning new material and finishing the first original song. Next week we will record the song and have the smaller kids singing background vocals on it. The band returns to Kanchanaburi on the 23rd for another gig with a some smaller ones doing a Traditional Karen Dance show.
Dec 27th/2009
Christmas at Baan Dada
The big day has come and gone. Christmas at an orphanage is like nothing I have ever experienced. We had pizza, home made mango ice cream, traditional Karen dancing, a few songs from the band and then gift opening. Lots of volunteers showed up from Bangkok and Japan with donation monies they had raised this year and gifts for the kids. Thanks GOMAD (Go make a difference) and others.
We took the band to Kanchanaburi for a Christmas Eve show complete with dancers and last night they played in Sangklaburi at a popular guesthouse there. We are getting a PA system ready for a New Years Gig next.
Ann from Belgium worked really hard this month teaching Christmas carols to some of the kids. The response was lovely from the people in Huay La Mai (the closest village). She's a tireless ball of positive energy and the kids miss her already. Everyone hopes she makes it back soon.
CAROLING
Tonight there is a class on 'live performance techniques/do's and don'ts to help the band become more professional sounding/looking. Later in the week (after their exams), we will review the songwriting process and get them rolling on another song before I leave.
The bands song 'We are Family' is finished and except for a lead solo from Tirat (Johnny) before I can start mixing it with the video that we are shooting bits of everyday with all the kids here. Everyone that wanted to sang tracks on the song (there will be around twenty vocalists) so it's going to be a blast to mix this week and teach the band how to do that on their computer.
LYRIC WRITING
I hope to have the video uploaded in a week or so. Hope you can tune in. Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year.
Jan. 9/2010
Happy New Year. This is the last post for Baan Dada. You can read about it in the projects section. India is a bust next month as the schools had to close due to cold in January and that set exams into my time frame. I am staying put in Thailand and have a few ideas for locations for February. Thanks again everyone for helping. I learned so much. Baan Dada was like no other experience I have had.
CANADA
October 17th/09
Hi everyone. I have been back in Canada raising funds for MSI.
This year I am excited to be running ESL classes that will have a music based approach to them. I hope as well to be part of a natural building project in Thailand at Whispering Seeds where we will erect an adobe house along with other permaculture projects.
I just finished working on the new soon to be blockbuster film, 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid', a film by 20th Century Fox based on the best selling series of books by Jeff Kinney. The author and actors signed a few editions to be auctioned on EBAY to help raise money for this winters programs. I posted the first one tonight. If you want to know when the others will be auctioned just ask me through the contact page. I will be holding several copies for the release of the film in April 2010.
In other news, South Asia Children's Fund has posted a story on MSI and Circus Steve (Stephan Groh) on their site. Please check out this fantastic org. who are responsible for so much of MSI's success.
http://www.southasiachildrensfund.org
NEPAL
Jane Goodall-Roots N Shoots founder in Kathmandu at the Peace Mantra performance
Feb 8th/09-Kathmandu
Much has happened since the inception of MSI back in 2007. The program has been well received and has exceeded everyone's expectations. I am grateful and determined in 2009 to see us to the next level whatever that may take. 'Bring Back Peace-kids helping kids' is a dream that will manifest itself in the coming year as I try to get sponsorship from airlines, hotels and private sources to take Peace Mantra's song to a greater level with voices from kids in Gaza, Israel, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan and the USA. It is hoped that some exposure of the new video on the internet will create more funding for the program and help to build the things needed to help children in these war torn areas.
Meanwhile in Kathmandu we are set to go to the Bhutanese Refugee camps tomorrow. We had a great meeting with the UNHCR here and everyone is pumped to see what happens as we go to a deeper level with our programs. The camps have been going for 17 years. Working with kids in public and boarding schools has been a great experience but I want to go further now and the people at UNHCR and SACF have opened a new door that I am extremely excited about traveling through.
(Circus)Steve and I are planning on taking our 'drive by' shows to the terminally ill kids in the camps and I hope to be able to involve a group of them in a song writing program while we are there. We'll be staying in Damak in the S.E. corner of Nepal.
In other exciting news, Peace Mantra performed their hit 'Bring Back Peace' (which is getting regular airplay in KTM) for Dr. Jane Goodall while she was here meeting with her Roots and Shoots youth group at SMD school. She is gift to us all and we love her.
Feb 20th/09-Damak/NEPAL
With the help of CARITAS, UNHCR and SACF, we have been working in the Bhutanese refugee camp Beldangi 1 with the students at Greenvale Extension 2. If you want to know where we are geographically; Google Earth Damak, Nepal.
24 songwriters between the ages of 12 and 17 were chosen based on their academic achievements in English. A short assignment revealed that their favorite person in the world is their Mother and the reason is the love that they receive from her. When asked what the subject of their song should be, 90% wrote LOVE on their ballot and so we began writing the first song for the band that has named itself-'Mantra'.
There is no electrical power in the camps but the kids do have battery operated radios that pick up a little Avril Lavigne and Bob Marley from the Damak station. They love to sing and we start each class with the Bhutanese National Anthem.
Electricity outside the camps is in short supply (2-4 hour blocks per day) and the electrical that does come is too low a voltage to use with most of my audio/video gear. After having blown up my computers power adapter I now am using a surge protector and the generator at the IOM compound. Thanks IOM!
Aside from the usual music program we are doing shows and workshops at the DisABILITY and Youth Friendly Centers located in each camp. With some of the money that Peter Graham raised in West Vancouver we have bought some hand puppets from Kathmandu and stuffed bears from Damak to hand out to some of the less fortunate kids.
As there are no permanent structures allowed here, the classrooms are made of thin bamboo (we have one with desks!); most of the classrooms have nothing but a small chalkboard hanging in them.
Steve's circus class is outside and the biggest challenge is to keep the other kids far enough away so that they don't disturb the learning process. When we leave the schoolyard there are hundreds of kids crowding the van wanting a song, a balloon or a magic trick.
Resettlement is an option for the refugees and some western countries are taking in the refugees as quickly as they can be processed. Some of our time is spent at the IOM orientation classes, answering questions that the Bhutanese have about North America.
Feb 24th/09-Timai Camp
We drove out to the furthest camp today (Timai) and worked with the folks at the DisABLED center there. A visually impaired woman played Harmonium and sang beautifully. Jamming along with Indian/Nepali timings is tricky stuff. After we went outside the center and some of the locals stepped up and played guitar with me.
Steve wowed them with some juggling and unicycle riding...
FEB 28th/09 Beldangi 2 and 3
On the return flight to Bangkok last year I bit something hard during my in flight meal and broke a tooth. The replacement I lovingly refer to as, 'The Bangkok Post' fell out so yesterday I got to experience Nepali Dentistry. My new dentist in Damak at the Ohm Shanti Dental hospital rocks. He gave me a discount on what was already a fairly reasonable charge. (400 rupees to put the tooth back in-that's $5 US dollars/with a bottle of antiseptic mouthwash to boot). The best part was, he had to work by flashlight as the power was out. A beautiful Tibetan lighting/dental technician focused her flashlight dutifully as he filled my mouth with cotton balls to use in place of the usual suction device and then went to it.
The rivers are DRY here. Every river we have passed on the road is dry or down to a trickle and that means very little Hydro power for Nepal. Massive river beds reduced to rock beds. Things have never been this bad my dentist said.
We were blessed to have Len from Seattle video our shows yesterday but he has to mail me a copy of the tape from Seattle to Calgary when he gets home so below are a few pictures from what was a hilarious two days of drive by shows at Beldangi 2 and 3 youth and disabled centers.
Next week I will have my regular students back and we will continue writing 'We are Love' and rehearsing it for our March 21st performance on the football pitch at Beldangi 1. The music tracks are in production for the song and I think it's going to be the best one yet.
March 14th/09-Beldangi 1
BEFORE...
Due to the transportation strike being in its ? day and in our desperation to get to the camps to continue the programs; we took a rickshaw and a bicycle for the journey to see which would be more appropriate to use for the final two weeks. On the way out of the camp the driver took a very narrow bridge and the left wheel never quite made it. We rolled the cyclo into the ditch and onto it's side. I landed on the guitar and my driver. As I got myself up amongst the 50-100 screaming and laughing children that had been chasing us out as usual, I realized my guitar had taken a hit. On inspection the neck has split and become separated from the main body. Luckily myself nor the driver were seriously hurt. We are going to try and purchase two used bicycles tomorrow to get to the camp and complete the programs. We'll be learning how to sing acapella tomorrow. There's no guitar store here and the transport strike continues. Keep those miracles coming please.
AFTER...
Thank you whoever you are that dropped a guitar off at the UNHCR today...we will meet again soon. The bike is fun and strike proof. The kids didn't learn about acapella singing today after all.
March 31/09 Kathmandu
Much has happened since the last update. We concluded our program and the result was a lovely video and song called 'Hami Saboi Maya' (We All Love). The transport/road closures were finally stopped by the military but I kept riding the bike to school everyday. A fire destroyed 400 huts in Beldangi 2 camps and we did a show for the kids there before we left. The guitar is being repaired in Kathmandu today and I hope it is alive and well when I pick it up tomorrow morning before our flight to Bangkok.
I will miss the wonderful students and people of the Refugee Camps and hope to return one day. This summer I will be hooking up with some of them in my hometown of Calgary to do some video interviews that will help the people back in the camps make decisions about resettlement. I hope you enjoy the new song/video as much as we did making it. I think you'll be able to feel the joy that emanates from everyone as you watch it. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and to everyone who continues to support my dream of Music Seeds International.
At this time there are not enough funds to run the program again. If you can help please do. My overhead is quite low and you should know that your money is being spent 100% on the program. I am a one man team with a dream. Many small notes can make a big sound.
Addendum to the guitar situation:
I have landed back in Bangkok and after putting some new strings on and letting the neck settle I am happy to report that the guitar is playable again. Thanks to the luthier at Dolphin music for your efforts. Fast, cheap and good. I never thought it was still possible to achieve those three things all at once.
Please browse the photo gallery if you have time...