Revitalizing Downtown

Revitalizing Downtown

WMS events

The World Music School was invited by the City of Helsinki to contribute to the programme of Revitalizing Downtown – summer streets and city center (Kadut Elävät). We will be bringing on the 26.6 a series of our “Folk Dances with Live Music” events to the Finnish National Museum

Program:

13.00 – Welcoming words by Pedro Aibéo, Chairman of the World Music School

13.05 – Ivory Coast Folk Dances with Live Music (Lassina Ouattara)

14:00 – Yiddish Folk Dances with Live Music (Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye)

15:00 – Nicaraguan Folk Dances with Live Music (José Robelo and Mariano Vega (in the picture above)) 

Open Mic Shows

Open Mic Shows

Open Mic

The World Music School Helsinki is continuing its live radio shows at the Helsinki Open Waves.

This Wednesday the 25th May 2022, Timo Tuhkanen will be our guest improvising on microtonal music.

Listen to other previous podcasts at the Helsinki Open Waves.

 

 

Lithuania + Hungary Folk in Helsinki

Lithuania + Hungary Folk in Helsinki

Monthly WMS events

On the 30th November 2021 we combined Lithuania with Hungarian folk dances with live music. Despite the corona restictions (many people left as they did not have covid passes), we had a good crowd! :-

Allthough our events get best advertised via the internet, the word of mouth is growing. It accounted for 40% of the people who came by.

7 nationalities joined us. The iranians were broadcsting it live to their families back  home 🙂 

We started the event with the Lithuanian dances lead by Goda Marija Gužauskaitė. Here you can learn the dances via youtube: 

Leading the Hungarian side, Botond Emil Gálfi

Folk Dances with Live Music from Hungary and Lithuania

Folk Dances with Live Music from Hungary and Lithuania

FREE ENTRANCE!
WHAT?
We bring together two minorities of Helsinki and invite everyone to play and dance along their traditional music and dances.
WHERE:
Caisa, Helsinki
Kaikukatu 4 B
PROGRAM:
17:00 – Welcoming words by Pedro Aibéo
17:15 – music & dances from Lithuania
18:00 – Break
18:15 – music & dances from Hungary
19:00 – End
WHO
This event is designed for everyone, previous experience is not required. Musicians or aspiring musicians are welcomed to join the musicians and play the traditional dance songs and how to perform music for the dances. Dancers will be invited to learn the steps and form of the dances by performing it together with live music.
All kinds of music instruments and dance levels are welcome. Just bring your instrument, voice and body!
ORGANIZERS:
This event is based on the events organized by the World Music School Helsinki which aim to connect the local cultural minorities through music and to teach through these music as a mother language.
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COVID-19 INFO
We want to make sure that the event is safe for everyone. Do not come if you have any symptoms of coronavirus. These include for example fever, sore throat, cough and abdominal symptoms. Hand sanitizer is available at the event and remember the safe distances. Thank you for caring and welcome!
Audience numbers will be restricted and hygiene practices enhanced to keep customers safe.
Exporting European Music

Exporting European Music

Seminars

the .The World Music School Helsinki (WMS) took part of the EMX, “a new project, funded by the European Commission and implemented by a consortium of European music export offices and cultural institutions, aimed at finding new strategies to develop and promote European music in the world.” (source: https://www.europeanmusic.eu/).

It happened in Amsterdam from 19th to 20th October and our chairman, Pedro Aibéo, went there alongside a group of music professionals and exporters from Europe.

Our position, of the WMS, was clear: the strength of Europe is on the diversity, the local ancient traditions mirrored in the Architecture, Music, and food. Even though there are big players in Europe around music, such as Spotify and Genelec, what have these trends done to enhance the diversity of music of Europe, or most importantly, in our view, to the overall improvement of music literacy?

Should we be aiming to quality or quantity? On an age of green trends, we still see excitement about green washing processes such as the current massive tour of Coldplay where people are asked to ride bikes and use no plastic: total nonsense. In our view we should aim at hybrid events, local and online, smaller and with less environmental impact and with higher community engagement.

Are we aiming at diversity or profit? Business or governmental aid? Being online is already exporting music, but the most popular online tools are hegemonizing culture. For example, Spotify is increasingly eliminating the classification of music by genres, which in our view, leads to an increase of consumption of high scored big corporations’ titles, not on smaller independent releases.

But let us take the example of corporations such as Walt Disney. They built an empire based on community instead of product focused. Maybe EU should focus too on communities when talking of the export of music. That is our unique selling point, diversity and communities. Do we want to follow the big player’s trends where artists like Rihanna or footballers like Ronaldo earn more money from virtual tools such as Instagram than from the work on the ground in music or sport? Is this what we want for Europe’s music? Or can we use music to build up real communities and strengthen diversity?