Music Beyond All Borders

Adam Christoferson is the founder, director and driving force of Musical Intervention, an organization that helps people write, record and perform original music. Adam grew up seeing the effects that trauma, drugs, and homelessness had on the people in his life and has also seen the transforming power of music during these otherwise turbulent times. Before going to college, his work with the Hill Health Centers’ Village of Power program. It was there that he actualized his calling to help people with music. Musical Intervention began to take form during his work as a Recreation Therapist at Yale Child Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital. His work on the inpatient unit was featured in the World Congress of Adolescence and Child Psychiatry in Beijing, China. Adam has presented his work to numerous high schools, universities and hospitals including being a featured speaker at the Yale Donald J. Cohen Mentorship Program at Yale School of Medicine.

Markus Vähälä the director of international affairs in a non-profit organization Kukunori in Helsinki, Finland. Markus has worked professionally in the fields of disability and mental health since 1998. 

Kukunori is a network of over 25 Finnish NGO’s who reach over 12.000 people and families all over Finland. Markus Vähälä leads a project called Propellipäät (the Propellerheads) in Kukunori. Propellipäät develops organizational development in NGO’s through change design and experiments. They work on the field and in their own experimental laboratory where new services, models and strategies are being developed. The aim is to support flexible, inclusive and effective methods in creating NGO’s for the present and the future. Markus Vähälä is the country co-ordinator of the Citizen Network Finland and has been active in Citizen Network from the beginning. He is keenly involved in international co-operation and has worked to promote international programs for youth, mental health, disability, sports, arts, culture and learning in Finland. Markus is a fellow on international group of experts in social change called The Fellows of the Centre for Welfare Reform.

Peter Bengtsson is a multi-faceted cultural practitioner. Animation, music, film and painting – also garden celebrity in Sweden. He is co-creator of the Dramalogen which is a place for creative collaborations and a place where artistry can be used as a lubricant in healing processes.

We have a magazine run by people with disabilities, we work on a large project for metal health and we run a language café business. In addition, many cultural workers work freely with us in society with all possible assignments, such as leadership development or equality work. When there is a problem that needs to be solved with cultural tools, then we are there!

Peter has a central role in the Drama Dialogue as a kind of strange artistic thing, and he has recently become the Foreign Minister of the Drama Theater, which pleases us. It is a lot of fun for us to work with such amazing organizations around the world and we are constantly learning more and finding new ways for the culture to find their way.

Jen O’Brien is Co-Founder of Music Broth, Scotland’s musical instrument and equipment library, a social enterprise with charitable status which she runs alongside her fellow Founder Felix Slavin from Music Broth base in Glasgow, Scotland. Music Broth ethos is to provide equitable access to musical opportunities for all, supporting those less able to access music, and also re-use; repairing and restoring neglected instruments and equipment and sharing them to new hands to bring joy. Thanks to the generosity of the Glasgow and wider Scotland community, Music Broth library has over 1400 musical instruments and equipment for sharing, everything from tin whistles to pianos!

Music Broth supports anyone wishing to pursue a musical venture; providing instruments for learners and established musicians alike to take home long-term, short-term e.g. occasional use of unusual instruments for recording, backline for gigs, PA for events, musical workshops, use of our library space for jamming/rehearsing/videoing, and training and volunteering opportunities. We also organise our own gigs and showcases giving a platform for musicians. All are welcome. All are valued.

Jen is also a musician singing, playing and writing music from a young age, entirely self-taught with no formal training. She has played solo and in bands in Ireland, Wales and Scotland and is currently writing and playing with the band Seafern whose music has been used in film. Jen also volunteers with Girls Rock Glasgow and has been featured in Scottish Music Industry Association Members Spotlight.

SUCCESS OF ALL ARTISTS

We believe in accountability and respect. Each artist signed to our project will maintain their rights to their songs  and will help develop a culture of professionalism and support within this program. 

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