GENESIS

How this story began…

by Isabelle de Boves, presidente and founder – Air France pilot

  

In 2011, while I was visiting my missionary aunt in an impoverished neighbourhood in Oaxaca, I met a small group of children aged between 8 and 16 who got together three hours a day after school to study music with a local musician.

Their project was simple: to create a fanfare « una banda de musica », just like many others in Mexico. For months, due to the lack of instruments, their apprenticeship was limited to the study of music theory… but each child had stars in his eyes talking about the instrument that he would play one day.

Here in Europe, many instruments are unused and over there, these young children without resources dreamed about studying music… the link was obvious!

I began to collect second-hand instruments, music stands, mouthpieces, reeds and sheet music for them. To transport all this equipment, I benefited from the help of my Air France colleagues .

This is how, in February 2012, the first wind instrument delivery took place, then, the project was enhanced by guitars and mandolins, and over the years by violins and cellos.

In 2014, the first school premises of the music school was built with the help of the Air France Foundation. We trained a luthier in France and the repair workshop opened its doors, guaranteeing the maintenance of the musical instruments within the school. The Santa Cecilia workshop rapidly became one of the best in the region!

Regularly, teachers or luthiers came from Europe to lend a hand. Certain students received a scholarship from our association to study music at a conservatory or at university.

When in 2011, the idea to help these youths realise their dream was born, I would never have imagined that we would travel such a path together.
Today there are two hundred students, six days a week at the music school. They are aware that another future is possible, that through hard work and discipline they can build big and beautiful things.
In music they have found dignity for themselves, their families and for their entire community”.