As a professional musician and host of his own SiriusXM children’s program on Kids Place Live, Robbie Schaefer has enjoyed the opportunity to work with and entertain children all across North America. Charity events, celebrity interviews, concerts – you name it, Robbie has probably been a part of it.
But that world exploded in size and scope in 2009 when Robbie was given the opportunity to visit with and produce a program at Uganda’s Brain Tree school. “I was absolutely blown away by the joy those children brought to music. Whether it was playing and dancing with their own instruments and music or with my guitar and Western songs, it didn’t really matter.”
What stood out most wasn’t just the need for better instruments, musical supplies and basic needs (you know, nutritious food, potable water, etc.). It was the immense power of music to bridge cultural gaps. After spending the better part of a week at Brain Tree, Robbie and his team took the video and audio they’d recorded in Uganda to The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA and repeated the process there. The schools became musical pen pals. What Robbie and his team saw at both schools was the capacity for children to communicate through music. If children separated by cultural and linguistic oceans (not to mention ones made of water!) can connect with each other on such an elemental level, then surely music could become an ambassador for peace and development between children across the globe, yes?
Enter OneVoice, which says, quite simply, that music is the language of the human soul. By bringing together children from across the world through the language of music, we sow the seeds for a world of peace, understanding, and love. Simple, right? Power to the (little) people.