Music unites, heals, brings up

In one of the September weekends the young inhabitants of “Children’s village” (rehabilitation center for children and youth in crisis situation visited the choir studio of the Donetsk national university.

Cause for meeting was sad and glad simultaneously. From one side finished the half-year volunteer project of Hanna Ruehs — music teacher from Germany who came to Ukraine at support of «German-russian exchange” to work with children in Makeevka in the NGO «M.ART.IN-club». From the other side — the pupils of «Children’s village» were proud to appeare on the stage with their own concert. which became possible due to half-year joint efforts of Hanna and children. They showed not only choir singing but playing flute, piano and guitar as well.


Hanna Ruehs: “I was asked about some special method which I use when I am working with children. I simply enjoy the making music with children, and see that they also like to play music instruments, to sing. To make them professional is not my goal and by the way it is impossible within such a short period of time. I just wanted to leave in their souls bright impressions and to do draw them closer to music”.


Children, some of them first time in their life took musical instruments in hands, came to the stage fighting against shyness. After their little concert they were spectators – the almost profeccional musicians were playing and singing. Not all from them were adult people.


Boys from the foster family “Eagle’s nest” at the Charity fund “Pilgrim” arrived to support young friends from Makeevka. They call their the jazz-bend "Pilgrim". Such name appeared not by chance - once all of them lived in Mariupol’s center of children’s rehabilitation “Republic “Pilgrim”.

Presently, 5 of 12 kids with different last names but the same foster parents Olga and Alexander Miroshnyk, attend musical college. Almost each Sunday family jazz band performs on the stage in the Church of Good Changes.

With their music and wide smiles the young saxophone players “kindled” the audience – jazz, pop and classic works they performed sounded so vivid that left nobody indifferent. Music is a lifestyle for those kids, upbringing system and, probably, even something bigger.

Alexander Miroshnyk: “Can you imagine that these kids used to wander the streets and had no idea that their calling is to be musicians. They know it today and it’s wonderful”.

Second part of the concert was a gift from Donetsk State University to the children. The members of a choir are both those who had had some experience in music before and those who are freshmen in music field. Their performance was to some extent a pattern to follow.


After the concert guests and artists didn’t want to leave the hall as they had much to discuss: kids looked at the musical instruments with a delight and were getting acquainted with the musicians. The students got some new experience too – they realized it’s a pleasure to be socially active.


Victoria Fedotova, a president of NGO “Martin club”: “Today’s concert has proved that even small investments into neglected kids give amazing results. They need family care and love so much and the music is a splendid opportunity to enrich their outlook and to develop their talents – not only musical. It’s quite complicated to do in the terms of boarding school. The family based forms of upbringing and individual, “emotional” approach to each child –is an only opportunity to help a child once neglected to become harmonious and many-sided personality”.