Solvay launches social project 'Building Music" in Brazil

Project 'Building Music' to Serve Approximately 5,000 Children in 2018 from Public Elementary Schools in Paulínia, Campinas (Barão Geraldo District), and Santo André

São Paulo, April 18, 2018 – 'Building Music' is a musical initiation project in which children learn basic music concepts and construct their own musical instruments by reusing materials and packaging that would otherwise end up in the trash. The initiative, supported by the Solvay Group through the Rhodia Institute, promotes education in a playful and enjoyable way, working on sustainability, the environment, collectivism, and social responsibility concepts.

The project, developed and implemented by the publisher Evoluir – Transformative Education, aims to serve approximately 5,000 elementary school students from public municipal schools in Paulínia, Campinas (Barão Geraldo district), and Santo André.

According to Odete Duarte, communication director of the Solvay Group in Latin America and project director of the Rhodia Institute, the company's social goal is to support projects related to the education and development of children and young people in public schools around its industrial units. "Support for this type of project is also aligned with the sustainability pillar, which is a priority for the Solvay Group worldwide," she said.

To launch the project in all the cities involved, special presentations, called pocket shows, were held during the week of April 16 to 20. The aim was to raise awareness among the school community for continuous training that can be included in the pedagogical political plan and to showcase the full potential of the action, which includes workshops on conducting, body percussion, and music awareness. These presentations brought together hundreds of enthusiastic children eager to learn.

Workshops with teachers are conducted by the art educator Mauro Tanaka, a well-known figure in the cultural movement. In addition to the work with students, eight hours of training are planned for educators (with two specific weekly hours for pedagogical follow-up) and 16 workshops, each lasting two hours, for students.

In this context, music educators put on a show, presenting the diversity of sounds and tones, as well as the various possibilities of musical instruments constructed from recyclable materials. Additionally, with the help of experienced instrument-building educators, children learn about the musical possibilities of their own bodies and everyday objects, repurposed with new meanings. The activity begins with musical perception games and the collection of materials that would otherwise end up in the trash, such as PET bottles and aluminum cans, which are transformed into instruments.

Regarding the many benefits generated by the teaching and practice of music, scientific studies conducted by the Federal University of Pernambuco have shown that musicalization and learning an instrument can also aid in the assimilation of content in subjects that require logical reasoning and concentration. This is due to the stimulation of brain regions activated especially in the study of certain disciplines, such as mathematics and languages, which also play a role in the processing and production of meaning and emotion in music. These scientific studies indicate a significant correspondence between musical instruction in the early years of life and the development of spatial intelligence, responsible for establishing relationships between items and favoring mathematical skills needed in musical rhythm and time counting processes.

"The project mobilizes the entire school about the importance of music and its benefits for the learning of children and young people. At the same time, by proposing the construction of musical instruments with reused materials, it promotes awareness about consumption," says Fernando Monteiro, director of Evoluir – Transformative Education, which develops and applies the project's methodologies.

"We bring teachers to be partners with music educators, and thus, everyone learns together," says artist Flávia Maia, responsible for the pedagogical content of the project and a member of the body percussion group Barbatuques. According to her, "at each meeting, we seek to explore the full potential of the children. They develop to the point of composing music, creating rhythm fusions, and even forming bands."

In Paulínia, the schools that will host the "Building Music" project are: EM Nelson Alves Aranha Neto, EM Professora Odete Emídio de Souza, and EMEF Maria Regina Ferreira de Matos e Moura. In Barão Geraldo, the participating schools are EMEF Padre José Narciso Vieira Ehrenberg and EMEF Padre Domingos Zatti. In Santo André, the municipal schools to be served are EMEIEF Luiz Sacilotto, Madre Teresa de Calcutá, Professor Antonio Virgílio Zaniboni, Professora Maria da Penha de Almeida Manfredi, and Darcy Ribeiro.

About "Building Music"

The "Building Music" project focuses on child musical education, as outlined in Law No. 11,769, which has made the teaching of music in elementary education mandatory since 2008. Its creators believe that the school should be a space for reflection on values, habits, and, above all, play a role in constructing a society that respects nature, takes ownership, and is responsible for spaces and public practices that promote a healthy and responsible culture, involving the entire school and families in this reflection and discussion about culture, music, and the environment in an atmosphere of exchange and respect, where everyone gains knowledge and promotes real transformation. In addition to learning about music and environmental preservation, children also have the opportunity to develop socio-emotional skills such as autonomy, self-awareness, relationship skills, and social awareness. In this way, it can be seen that the project supports the comprehensive development of students (social, emotional, and cognitive) and strengthens existing practices within the school. Since its creation in 2014, the project has benefited 200 schools and thousands of students.

About Evoluir – Transformative Education

In the market for 22 years, Evoluir – Transformative Education is a company specialized in developing innovative educational content and methodologies. To achieve this, it develops products, methodologies, and tools that make learning more creative, efficient, and meaningful. The company operates through tenders, agreements, sponsorship, and services. Evoluir's programs can be supported through cultural incentive laws, direct investment from companies interested in investing in education, education secretariats, or private schools. The programs include materials for students and teachers, educator training, and student performance monitoring throughout the process.

About the Solvay Group and the Rhodia Institute

Solvay is a chemical company specializing in advanced materials and specialty chemicals, committed to the development of Chemistry that addresses society's key challenges. Throughout its 99 years in Brazil, the Solvay Group has always been at the forefront of projects that express its position as a corporate citizen, seeking to contribute to the development of society, particularly in the communities around its industrial or commercial units. In 2007, reaffirming its commitment to social responsibility, it created the Rhodia Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to centralize and strengthen the strategic management of resources allocated to the company's social initiatives. As a way of contributing to promoting the inclusion and human development of the communities in which it operates, the Institute decided to embrace a cause capable of promoting important transformations in people's lives and the country's progress: the education of young people and adolescents.

SERVICE

Official launch ceremony of the Building Music project in Paulínia (SP)

Date: April 18 – at 10 a.m. – with a Pocket Show and the participation of 700 students

Location - Municipal Theater of Paulínia – Av. Prefeito José Lozano Araújo, 1551, Parque Brasil 500 – Paulínia (SP)

Press information:

About Evoluir and the Building Music project

Baobá Comunicação – Cultura e Conteúdo

Erika Balbino – erika.balbino@baobacomunicacao.com.br

Pedro Sant’Anna – pedro@baobacomunicacao.com.br

Tel. (55 11) 3482 6908 or (55 11) 3482 2510

About the Solvay Group and Rhodia in Brazil

Press Express Comunicação