{"id":6533,"date":"2024-08-17T11:39:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T11:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/17\/his-love-of-music-is-helping-refugees-and-immigrants-build-new-lives\/"},"modified":"2024-08-17T11:39:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T11:39:30","slug":"his-love-of-music-is-helping-refugees-and-immigrants-build-new-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/17\/his-love-of-music-is-helping-refugees-and-immigrants-build-new-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"His love of music is helping refugees and immigrants build new lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Saturday, at a church in Gothenburg, Sweden, hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds gather. There are more than 20 languages spoken among them, and they come not to worship, but to play music. <\/p>\n

As they chat and tune their instruments, a smiling man sweeps in and the energy level rises. He greets everyone, steps onto the podium, and raises his baton. On his command, music fills the room. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s an ensemble known as the Dream Orchestra \u2013 the vision of Ron Davis Alvarez, an accomplished violinist, conductor, and teacher. Since 2016, his free program has given hundreds of refugees, immigrants, vulnerable young people, and native Swedes the chance to learn an instrument, connect with others, and enrich their lives. <\/p>\n

To Alvarez, 38, the work is about far more than music. <\/p>\n

\u201cAn orchestra, it\u2019s like a <\/strong>community \u2013 different people, different voices, different melodies. Everybody (has) their own role and they all connect to each other,\u201d he said. \u201cImagine if the world worked more like an orchestra. We would have a better world for sure.\u201d <\/p>\n

New life through music<\/h2>\n

Alvarez grew up in the favelas of Caracas, Venezuela \u2013 dangerous slums plagued by drugs and violence. To help his family make ends meet, in grade school he started selling ice cream alongside his grandmother at her home. Across the street was a chapter of El Sistema, a globally acclaimed program that provides free classical music training to children from under-resourced communities. Seeing students carrying their instruments interested him; then, he heard the music. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou always (could) hear one of the students playing the violin (from) the balcony,\u201d he said. \u201cI said, \u2018I want to play that. \u2026 That instrument has a voice.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

At 10, he joined the group, and the experience changed his life. <\/p>\n

\u201cI fell in love with music from my first class,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, to play the violin \u2013 it\u2019s electricity.\u201d <\/p>\n

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CNN Hero Ron Davis Alvarez \u2014<\/div>\n

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He also appreciated the school\u2019s inclusive philosophy. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt (didn\u2019t) matter if I was the guy who was selling ice cream in front of the school or I was the son or the daughter of the mayor,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone was important in the classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n

By 14, he was teaching classes; by 16, he was conducting. His love of music kept him focused on his goals and out of trouble. <\/p>\n

Eventually, Alvarez studied conducting at university and later worked for El Sistema to help spread the group\u2019s innovative teaching methods worldwide \u2013 even near the Arctic Circle, where he started Greenland\u2019s first youth orchestra. It was this work that led him to first visit Sweden in 2015. <\/p>\n

Seeking light in the darkness<\/h2>\n

Alvarez was in Stockholm just as unprecedented numbers of refugees were arriving in the country, most from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was stunned by the crowds he saw in the city\u2019s central train station. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it was a shocking moment. They were, like, completely lost,\u201d he said. \u201cI was just thinking, \u2018What are they gonna do?\u2019 Everything was really dark. And I see in their eyes they were looking for light.\u201d <\/p>\n

He knew he could help. The following year, he was hired by El Sistema Sweden and moved to Gothenburg where in his free time he offered a music group for refugees. He started with 13 students. Most had no background in music and didn\u2019t speak English \u2013 nor Alvarez\u2019s native Spanish \u2013 but he loaned them instruments and began teaching them. He knew playing music together would help them make friends, express themselves, and rebuild their self-esteem. He named the group the Dream Orchestra to emphasize their potential. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that\u2019s what a music education is about,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about giving you new opportunities (for) learning about life, about challenges, about dreaming, about \u2026 connecting you to your soul.\u201d <\/p>\n

Eight years later, the program has more than 300 members, from 3 to 56 years old, of more than 25 nationalities, Alvarez said. While many are immigrants and refugees, the group also includes many second-generation immigrants as well as native Swedes, including some who are nonbinary or trans. Connecting people of different backgrounds is central to Alvarez\u2019s mission. <\/p>\n

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\u201cYou cannot have an orchestra only for refugees because that\u2019s segregation. You really need to include people from Sweden \u2026 We all need to learn from each other,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are an orchestra for everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

The group now offers weekly large ensemble rehearsals, as well as beginner classes at three different locations around Gothenburg. Alvarez teaches in English, but since it\u2019s not spoken by everyone, he also communicates using numbers, colors, games and movement. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the kids, I know that they don\u2019t understand what I say. But they do understand what I show,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an orchestra where the main language is music.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alvarez also realizes that it can be scary to try something new, especially for those who are adjusting to life in a new country. His upbeat attitude helps encourage everyone to take risks. <\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that I believe that you need to learn (in) music is to believe in yourself,\u201d he said. \u201cTo believe in yourself and to develop through music, you have to make mistakes. Mistakes \u2026 make you strong.\u201d <\/p>\n

Most rehearsals include people of varying levels of experience, so Alvarez encourages everyone to help each other. <\/p>\n

\u201cTolerance, respect, compassion. All of that is what we learn when we play an instrument,\u201d he said. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s one goal \u2026 to care about the others.\u201d <\/p>\n

Connecting beyond the music<\/h2>\n

Community is an essential part of what Alvarez is trying to create, especially for those who have recently arrived in Sweden and have no social network. While playing together helps students bond, the Swedish tradition of \u201cfika\u201d \u2013 basically, a coffee break \u2013 also plays a crucial role. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a moment where we socialize, so that also helps us to connect with everyone in the orchestra,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very important part of what we do. \u2026 We are a family.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alvarez strives to build an appreciation for different cultures by having students learn a wide range of works from around the world, including from many of their homelands. He also teaches Swedish compositions so students can learn about their new home. <\/p>\n

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\u201cThe best way to learn the culture of people is through music,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone is bringing a bag with so much experience from their own country \u2026 bringing stuff to share, but also to learn.\u201d <\/p>\n

When students struggle to make ends meet or with immigration issues, they often turn to Alvarez and other members of the orchestra for help. Alvarez and some members of his group help with housing, food, and connection to outside resources and support. This isn\u2019t a formal part of Dream Orchestra\u2019s work, just a result of the friendships formed. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone comes and says, \u2018I have this problem,\u2019 then we all have the problem,\u201d Alvarez said. <\/p>\n

For many members, Dream Orchestra truly is a family and home where they can learn, grow, connect, and find comfort. <\/p>\n

One of those members is Olga Hushchyna. After fleeing Ukraine, she was excited to have her 8-year old son, Andrii, join the Dream Orchestra and was thrilled to realize she could also join and learn the violin. She says the group has helped rebuild their lives through friendship and music. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter having such great stress, this makes us alive once again. We really heal and receive medicine (from) this,\u201d she said. \u201cLife is not stopped. Life is going on.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mushtaq Hansson-Khorsand arrived from Afghanistan without any family when he was just 16. As a fan of hip hop, he had no interest in joining Alvarez\u2019s group, but when he saw how happy the musicians were, he changed his mind. Now 25, he still comes to play the flute every week and says that Dream Orchestra is where he feels most at home. <\/p>\n

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Mushtaq Hansson-Khorsand, right, credits Dream Orchestra with helping him find hope and happiness in his new life.<\/span> <\/div>
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\u201cYou are welcome, who you are, no matter where you came from,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why you feel safe. You can be yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hansson-Khorsand says he couldn\u2019t have adjusted to life in Sweden without the financial and emotional support he received from the group. Today, he\u2019s married with a young son and has a job helping refugees find work. Alvarez is helping him prepare to study music at university. <\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, my only goal is to teach music to other people \u2013 teach them what I have learned, \u201che said. \u201cWe are going to change the world with music. \u2026 That\u2019s what I learned from Ron.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alvarez wants others to replicate his work. He\u2019s supported programs at refugee camps in the West Bank and Greece and is working to do the same in Ukraine. Ultimately, his hope is for groups like Dream Orchestra to help people overcome hardships and find joy in life and connection with others. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis orchestra offers more than just notes. This orchestra offers something for your soul,\u201d he said. \u201cMusic connects us. Dream Orchestra, it\u2019s a dream, but it\u2019s a dream (that\u2019s) come true.\u201d <\/p>\n

Want to get involved? Check out the <\/em>Dream Orchestra website<\/em> and see how to help.<\/em> <\/p>\n

To donate to Dream Orchestra via GoFundMe, <\/em>click here<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n

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