Hello supporters, Carolyn writing here. After my recent trip to Haiti I am filled with many thoughts and feelings that I’d like to share with you. Vidoes and pictures of the trip soon to come!

          About a year and a half ago I was introduced to the Foyer Maurice Sixto (FMS) school in Carrefour, Haiti. Their head music teacher Skander Desrosiers and his brother Stanley Desrosiers led me on the 30 minute walk up a mountain in Brochette to the school. It was not too bad of a hike, but I was impressed that the students and teachers made this trek several times a week. I wondered, why in the world would you put a music school on top of a mountain? When we reached the top I understood. The view of Carrefour and Port-au-Prince below, the shade of the pink-flowered trees, and the silence (all expect for the steady hum of cicadas) evoked transcendence. The hustle and bustle of Haiti’s urban centers where I spent much of my time often made it hard to think clearly, to process all of the complexities of this country.  And for musical purposes, trying to teach a child about the importance of sound quality when they can barely hear themselves over a truck going by, was very difficult. But the sense of peace and perspective I felt on that mountaintop was refreshing, and from up there it seemed as if anything was possible. I think this is one of the reasons that the vision and mission of Pere Miguel Jean Baptiste, the founder of FMS, is as broad and ambitious as it is. From his home at the top of this mountain, the path to the future of a more equal and prosperous Haiti is very clear.

            The Foyer Maurice Sixto’s motto is “Tout timoun se timoun, tout timoun gen menm dwa” which translates to “All children are children, and all children have the same rights.” Founded in 1989, the school is named after the famous sociologist, and great observer of Haitian society, Maurice Sixto. He wrote about the problem of the “sentaniz” or more commonly known as “restavek,” which describes children living in domesticity. They typically come from country-side families who cannot support all of their children, and are given up when a more wealthy relative or family friend comes along. They promise a better life and education for the child in an urban center, but more often than not the child is not sent to school.  Rather they are forced to do manual labor, cleaning, cooking, and other household chores. These children grow up without knowing the joy and freedom of childhood, and are often mistreated. FMS invites Restavek children to come and feel a part of a family, offering them access to food, education, and professional training. All children receive a free hot meal every day.

             There are two main parts to FMS;  the professional school, which has been a part of the school since it’s inception, and the talent school which was added about 2.5 years ago. The professional school focuses on basic and vocational skills. Children under the age of sixteen attend primary school where they receive instruction in reading, writing, and math. Children ages 16-24 study vocations such as culinary arts, sewing, carpentry, and car repair. If a child has gained all they can from FMS, but would like to continue their vocational studies, FMS will pay for them to further their education at another school. The talent school has four programs: music, dance, theatre and soccer. It serves approximately 450 students in the Carrefour area, and these students may also participate in the professional school programs. As you may have guessed I’ve mainly been involved with their music program. On my first visit I filmed their band rehearsal and a brief interview with Pere Miguel. Stephen and I decided to include it in the final version of “Kenbe La~Hold On”  because it was such a strong example of music being used as a tool to address social justice issues. Pere Miguel believes that in showing the host families and the community how talented the Restavek children are, FMS will raise their stature and improve their quality of life.

              Each time I would visit FMS to teach theory or work with their band, Pere Miguel would say “this is the person who will start my string program.” I would laugh awkwardly and try to explain that I was only 22, and not a “gwo moun” with the power to do something like that. I said I would try but could make no promises.  Back in Appleton I started contacting string shops with meeting requests. I didn’t have much luck except with local family-owned StringWorks. A few years ago they’d donated a cello case, so I thought they might give a few more cases or violins, but I did not have high expectations. I met with vice president Pat French and began explaining FMS to her, and only a few minutes into my explanation, Pat stopped me and said, “That’s enough, I think I understand, let’s see what I can give you.” She proceeded to open the doors to their warehouse exposing rows upon rows of cellos and violins, and I’ll never forget what she said next “take whatever you want.” Sometimes it’s nice to have your expectations turned on their head. Over the next two months we worked to select which instruments and supplies should go to Haiti, and throughout the process, Pat was adamant that the children receive the best possible. Her generosity and caring have provided over 30 string instruments for FMS to start an orchestra program.

          I decided that for now the best way to transport the instruments was as checked and carry-on luggage, so I convinced my sister and her boyfriend to help me, and collaborated with a friend with University of Pheonix in New Hampshire named Debra DiNola. I actually met Debra at a screening of “Kenbe La” for the 2010 Haitian Studies Association Conference. After seeing the film she stayed in contact and was very enthusiastic about going to Haiti to support the music programs. She recruited 5 other volunteers from the Manchester Choral Society, which she also sings in, to come with and they organized themselves into a group called ‘Pataje Mizik’ (which means ‘share music’ in Haitian Creole). So between the 9 of us, we brought $40-50,000 of string instruments, bows, strings, recorders, music, stands, instrument repair tools, reeds, soccer balls, first aid kits, notebooks, folders, and more. Debra’s group also raised enough money to buy four water filtration systems for FMS.  With the help of a talented and dedicated Haitian luthier named Tchoupy Hilaris, in three days (Feb. 27-29) we got all of the instruments set up and ready to play, gave lessons in recorder, keyboard, choir, and band, and performed a concert with the FMS students for the community. The number of people from such diverse places that came together to make this happen still amazes me. And people using “Kenbe La” as a tool to recruit volunteers, collect donations, and raise funds makes me incredibly proud. This collaboration to support such a fantastic program as FMS was really born from this film, and so I’d like to thank everyone who has supported the making of “Kenbe La~Hold On” for your help. You have had a hand in starting a string program and supporting the ongoing programs of FMS in all the amazing work that they do. Please continue to use our film to rally support, and teach viewers about the importance of music education in Haiti. Even if you think you’re not a “gwo moun” like I’d thought, share the film with your university, high school, church, or family, and use the power of collaboration. Like the Haitian proverb “men anpil fe chay pa lou” meaning “many hands make the load lighter. The many hands involved in creating the string program at FMS made my load lighter, and greatly increased the amount of donations and volunteer time I could offer FMS. Please contact me if you are interested in put your hands, heads, and hearts together with others to support music education programs in Haiti.

 Dear Supporters,
 
It has been an exciting and productive year for Bel Son. We finished an 82 minute cut of the film which has screened at Festivals and Universities across the United States. Stephen’s move to Seattle WA at the beginning of this year exposed our film to a whole different network of viewers and collaborators.  Carolyn graduated from Lawrence and spent her summer teaching music in Haiti. She came back newly motivated to promote the film and spread the power of music. We recently contracted with Film Marketing Services LLC in California who will be helping us find distribution for the film, and we have almost a dozen screenings coming up in 2012! We will update the website with these dates/times soon. The future is bright, and we are extremely grateful.
We thank you for your continued support and we wish you a Happy New Year!
 
Here is a list of highlights from 2011.
 
January
~Organized Jan. 12 Earthquake Remembrance event in Appleton, WI. It included a presentation about the state of Haiti one year after the quake, and a screening of the film.
~Benefit screening at the Prarie Music Academy in Sun Prarie, WI
Feb-May
~We spent these months refining edits on the film and applying for film festivals.
June/July
~ Screening and Q&A at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival in Seattle, WA.
~Carolyn graduates and spends two months in Haiti teaching at various music programs and following up with people from the film.
August
~ Screening and Q&A at the Ballistic Chicken Coop in Seattle, WA.
~ Benefit Screening in Stephen’s hometown of Hudson, WI.
September
~Contracted with Film Marketing Services LLC in California who will work with us to find distribution.
October
~Screening and Q&A at Plymouth State University to raise awareness about a group of East Coast musicians who will travel to Haiti in February.
November
~Screening at the Weyauwega International Film Festival in Weyauwega, WI.
~ International French Week Screening and Q&A at Lawrence University co-sponsored by the LU French  
   Department, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Lawrence chapter of the National Association  
   for Music Education.
~Carolyn presented to five Appleton High School French Classes on Haiti for National French Week.
~Screening at the New School of Music in NY for their International Education Week.
December
~Stephen presented to the Seattle Documentary Association in Seattle, WA.
~Started Kickstarter fundraising campaign with the goal of $1,700 by Jan. 6. We are well on track to success and there is still time to make your contribution!

 Hello! I am now in Jacmel- Haiti’s cultural capital and one of the most charming places I’ve been in Haiti so far. The first couple days of camp last week were pretty crazy, but that’s just sort how things go here. I’ve had more and more students coming every day, and not enough cellos for all of them. I’ve been doing some light luthier work at night to try and put some of the damaged cellos back in commission. The Jacmel camp is a half-day camp from 8 AM to 4 PM for most students, and then there are full orchestra and chamber orchestra rehearsals at night. In general the students are younger here, which means lots of excited children running around the school all day- but when you can get them to sit down we get some good work done. Myself and another Lawrence volunteer Karly Stern have been directing the ‘Pierre Belizaire’ beginning orchestra. It is named after Pierre Belizaire, a Haitian cellist and an important supporter of the school. This is the first orchestral experience for many of the students in the group this year. It is challenging but also extremely rewarding- discovering new styles of music, bow techniques, and notes that they never new existed. We are playing two pieces in the concert this Saturday. One is an upbeat rock piece called ‘Cruisin’ and the other is called “Medival Kings”. I’ve been trying to explain the concept of “Rocking out” to my students for days, but I figured it’d be best to just play them an example, so today we listened to “Can’t Stop” by the red hot chili peppers, and then listened to a string quartet version of the same song. So many minds blown!
We had a spell of bad weather last week that shut down camp for half a day. Tropical Storm Emily came through Wednesday night and Thursday. We had some heavy rains and wind, but thankfully not a lot of damage around here. Hopefully there won’t be any more this summer as many people are still living in tents and make-shift housing since the earthquake. A serious tropical storm or hurricane could be devastating.
Compared to the Cange camp, Jacmel is extremely hot- today was around 100. But we get by and sometimes get to go to the beach to cool off. We’ve also had some time to walk around Jacmel checking out the market, restaurants and some of the artisan shops. On Sunday some of the volunteers went to Bassin Bleu- a two hour walk up a mountain to the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen. This weekend it looks like our Sunday adventure will be boating to a place called “La Baguette” to try an infamous tuna sandwich- Janet says it’s the best she’s ever had.
More in a week or so - till then take care!

Bonjou Tout Moun!
Hello everyone! More news from Haiti:
The last week of the Holy Trinity camp is coming to an end. Tomorrow (Sunday, July 31st) will be our final concert. I am very excited to be conducting a short piece with the Petit Orchestre de Chambre (Little Chamber Orchestra). Rehearsals this week have been a lot of fun and I am continually impressed with my students’ dedication and spirit. On Wednesday we had a recital with about 40 performances! It was a marathon. On Friday I gave my final theory test and my students did extremely well and I am so proud of them. One of my favorite things about teaching is the excitement on my students’ faces when they understand something new. And so many of the students go back to their home schools and communities and teach others what they’ve learned. I have one student who is always doing every problem twice, because he says he needs to master it so he can teach it later.
Amidst all this success, the third week of camp can also be hard We are all getting tired and almost every day we’ve had torrential downpours during the afternoon rehearsal time. On Friday our house flooded and the volunteers spent a few hours mopping and cleaning. Thankfully there has been no serious damage. In Cange heavy rain like this is part of everyday life.
The last few days of camp are a mix of happiness and pride for the progress we’ve made together, and sadness that it has to end. Tomorrow night after the concert we have a big party and will give awards to students for their leadership, progress, and spirit. Then we have a talent show and a dance! It is always a lot of fun. And then on Monday, off to another camp at the Dessaix Baptiste Music School in Jacmel. Jacmel is considered Haiti’s cultural capital and is one of my favorite places. I’ll tell you more about it next week!

 Hello supporters! This is Carolyn writing from Haiti.

I am currently volunteering as a music teacher at the summer music camps. I arrived June 28th and have been here for almost three weeks.  It is wonderful to be back in Haiti with old friends and I have enjoyed making many new friends along the way.  The students are working hard and are so eager to learn.  As always, it is quite inspirational. Two weeks ago I was in Terrier Rouge a beautiful rural area in the Northern part of Haiti (near Cap Haitian), for a two week music camp called CEMUSHKA. The camp happened on the grounds of an Episcopal school that had very nice facilities, plenty of classrooms, and an auditorium- perfect for a music camp. I mostly taught theory and helped with the percussion group.

 On Sunday July 10 our group of volunteers traveled to the next camp in Cange. The Holy Trinity Music School runs this camp. You may remember this school from our film- it is the largest and oldest school. In years past the camp has been held in Leogane, but the earthquake destroyed our campground, and so this year we are trying out a brand new location. We are working inside the Partners in Health Hospital. It is one of Haiti’s most successful health organizations – founded by Paul Farmer.  I strongly suggest reading ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ written by Tracy Kidder to learn more about this most inspirational man.  Unfortunately I got sick the first week with strep and typhoid (yes, at the same time) so I experienced the doctors’ expertise first hand. They are more caring and intelligent than my doctor is back home, and all of the care they provided was free.

This camp at Cange is very busy. We do two recitals and one concert a week! Everyone’s pretty tired, but our love of music spurs us on. Here is an outline of what my regular day looks like:

7:00 AM Breakfast
8:00 AM Theory for the Philharmonic Orchestra
9:00 AM Theory for the Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble
10:30AM Chamber Orchestra Cello Sectional
11:30AM Cello Lessons
Break for Lunch
3:00 Cello/Theory Lessons
4:00 Assisting the Chamber Orchestra and/or playing in the Philharmonic
5:30 Light Dinner
7:00-9:00 Playing in the Philharmonic
9:00-? Correcting homework

It’s a lot of work, but I wouldn’t change it. I look forward to each day- even the long ones. The ensembles are making so much progress, and my theory students actually remembered a lot from last year, so we are pushing ahead to new things.
I am hoping to blog once a week for the rest of my trip, so look for more updates. Thank you for supporting Bel Son and music in Haiti!

Hello supporters.  We want to thank you all again for all the support you have shown as this project comes together.  For those of you in the Seattle area, the film is screening on June 12th at the Rendezvous/Jewel Box Theater at 4pm.  If you do not live in the Seattle area PLEASE spread the word to people you know out here.  We want to share this film with as many people as possible and it is time for it to be seen!   More information about the screening can be found here.

We are currently planning a few more small screenings in the Seattle area and hope to take the film on tour this fall. We are eager to bring the film to colleges and high schools to talk about community involvement both locally and abroad. If you have an interest in organizing a screening in your area we would love to here from you!   Please e-mail us at belsonproductions@gmail.com

Thank you!

Stephen

Hello Bel Son Supporters,

It is hard to believe, but it's been almost a year since the Jan. 12, 2010, Earthquake. I know that it will be a hard day for many of us, and I think it is a time for all friends of Haiti to come together in support. We have finished the film and are submitting it to film festivals. (Thank you to those of you who made end-of-year donations towards the cost of festival applications.) To honor the hundreds of thousands of lives lost last year, we will be showing the film at local non-profit Harmony Cafe Fox Valley on the anniversary of the quake. We will also be discussing the progress that has been made and the ongoing struggles. Below is more information. If you don't live too far away and are able to make it, please come spend Wednesday evening with friends. Also feel free to share this invitation with other friends and family members. 

Thank you!!!
Carolyn Armstrong

What: Haiti Earthquake Anniversary and Remembrance
When: January 12th, 2011 6:00-8:00 PM
Where: Harmony Cafe Fox Valley, Appleton, WI 54914

 Wednesday January 12th, 2011, marks the one year anniversary of the 7.0 Earthquake that devastated Haiti and claimed the lives of over 220,000 people. Millions more were left homeless and continue to struggle for everyday essentials like water, food and shelter. Please join us at Harmony Cafe Fox Valley for a special event to honor the lives lost, and to look to the future of Haiti with hope. 

The Appleton community has strong ties to Haiti. For almost 15 years musicians from Lawrence University and Appleton schools have been volunteer teaching at music programs there. After their beloved Holy Trinity Music School was destroyed in the earthquake last year, they put on a series of benefit concerts with Lawrence University, Harmony Cafe, and WLUK Fox 11, that raised over 40,000 dollars. The outpouring of generosity from the Appleton community was truly inspiring. This year on January 12th, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the great work that has been done, but also to raise awareness of the intense needs that still exist.

Harmony Cafe will be showing a documentary film made by one of our team members Carolyn Armstrong and her colleague Stephen Anunson. "Kenbe La- Hold On" tells the story of music education programs in Haiti. The film centers on the Holy Trinity music school in Port-Au-Prince, and the lives of the students, teachers, and volunteers that make it a reality. It is about an exchange of ideas through music, and the relationships built by this exchange. After the disastrous January 12th Earthquake, these relationships hold the musicians together despite the loss of their beloved school, instruments, friends, and family members. Filmed before and after the earthquake, this powerful story displays the strength and resilience of the Haitian people. There will be a short discussion with the filmmakers after the film. Visit this website to learn more about the film: 
www.belsonproductions.com

This event is free and open to the public. Free will donations will be accepted for the Holy Trinity Music School Rebuilding Fund, and on behalf of Partners in Health.