Crowdfunding at Readyfor For PTNA School Concert Project!

2017/04/29 | コメント(0)  | トラックバック(0)  | 
ptna_20170420top.jpgPTNA began crowdfunding through Readyfor, one of the most renowned crowdfunding platforms in Japan, for raising funds to send pianists to public elementary schools. In Japan, there are few teachers appointed as "music teachers" in public schools, except Tokyo Metropolitan areas and few other cities. Basically, teachers have to teach all the subjects in elementary schools, including music, unless schools have enough size and budget to allocate professional music teachers. That means, children have little opportunity to listen to music performed by professional musicians during their music classes, even though there have grand pianos. Therefore, PTNA school concert project aims at giving live performances in music rooms, and allows children come close to instruments, play their instruments (recorder, etc.) together, or sing together with musicians.

Over the last 10 years, PTNA has been giving classroom concerts in 1,000 schools, in cooperation with PTNA satellite stations across Japan and professional pianists / musicians including PTNA Grand Prize winners. According to Chiaki Baba (the representative of the Kure-Camelia Station), a musician's led NPO in Hiroshima is providing concerts in elementary schools for the past few years, by request from the prefectural board of education. This is a good example. PTNA, as a flexible private association, would also like to complement the public education and give support if necessary.

Then, why does PTNA use crowdfunding this time? In the last 10 years, this project has been supported by PTNA members' contributions and subsidies by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, etc., but the executed areas have been limited to populated cities. However, PTNA believes it necessary to extend this project to areas which are less-populated or less-resources. To give this project more understanding and sustainability, PTNA decides to ask for support from people in society. 

Junko Nishikawa, one of the pianists who joined in school concert projects in west-Tokyo area, testifies that this project is not one-sided, but interaction-oriented. She always tried to play and speak for children, and sometimes changed the verbal expressions or subjects if necessary by seeing their responses. She received a number of messages from pupils afterward. One of them wrote to her that she fought with her sister or brother, but somehow reconciliated after listening to her piano performance at school. Another student, who was not well-disciplined in the music class, felt something in her performance and told so to her teacher.
"Music evokes various feelings, not only joy or pleasure, but also sorrow or anxiety. Nevertheless, people can be healed by listening to other music. The power of music is to allow people move their emotions whatever the reason is", says Nishikawa.

Hiroko Saito, one of the PTNA members and the representative of Toyosu-Canal-Station, confessed that it was a concert at her junior high school that moved her emotion deeply, and that made her decide to study music seriously. She hopes that music will be delivered to as many children as possible though this school concert project.

Regarding the crowdfunding at Readyfor, the initial goal of 1 million yen, which enables PTNA to send pianists to 25 public schools, has already reached successfully. Currently, PTNA is asking for additional support of 1 milllion yen (2 million yen in total) until the end of May. 

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