United by Music supports talented people with intellectual disabilities and gives them the chance to perform blues and swing music on stage with a live band for a general public. United by Music is a project that began when Dutch blues lover and humanitarian, Joris van Wijngaarden, invited the American blues diva Candye Kane for a lunch in Belgium. It was there that they first put their heads toge
ther and imagined a musical extravaganza that would promote blues music and brighten hearts, create cooperation, stimulate creativity, and blur the lines between who has a disability and who does not. People with intellectual disabilities often do not get those opportunities. It is maddening to have a dream to perform on stage, only to be told that your disability makes you unacceptable, or unprofessional as a band member. United by Music gives people the chance to prove what they can do as musicians, dancers, artists and singers. They sing the blues, because of it's history. The story is about how blues and gospel music inspired African Americans when they had no rights and no freedom, to transcend their crippling sorrow and pain. United by Music inspires artists to write their own songs and stories about their heartbreak and experience. United by Music teaches confidence and boosts self-esteem. Do you want to get involved in the United by Music project? Perhaps you work in the health care sector or know someone who does; Perhaps you just want to be involved in a tremendous charity that changes lives and empowers people. Whatever reason you get involved, you won't be sorry. "This project blesses everyone who witnesses the uplifting power of blues music and the incredible artists who are getting the chance to participate." - Candye Kane
United by Music has a European organization situated in the Netherlands: www.unitedbymusic.org and a North American organizaton: www.ubmna.org
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