"If I could forget everything that I was, if I could erase everything that I saw, I would not hesitate, I would not hesitate to laugh again...". The lyrics and notes by Antonio Flores, Diego Torres or Dúo dinamic have united teachers and homeless people from the Arrels Sant Ignasi, in detoxification treatment or reintegration processes.All of them participate in the project 'Arrela't a la música' for students of Early Childhood and Primary Education of the University of Lleida,
“It has been something very strong, you see people who in principle have nothing to do with you, or with your experiences, and I hope they never have them, who treat you as an equal. They treat you like a normal and ordinary person and that seems not, but it makes you feel very good”, says Felipe, one of the Arrells users who, from February to June, has gone to the center of the association every week. There they have rehearsed and prepared a concert in June at the Mariana Academy in Lleida which was attended by one hundred people.
The violinist and professor at the UdL Lana Kovacevic is the director of the project that was born with the desire for it to continue. The goal, she says, is to enjoy music, share it and, above all, carry out a transfer of values that music can offer us.
For Lana Kovacevic, who has worked on various proposals related to music and social transformation, the subject of her thesis has given her, she says, "many educational values such as respect, tolerance or peace, music can transmit values to us like understanding."
For the students it has been a great experience. “Arrela't a la música has left a beautiful mark on me, making music and social inclusion an inseparable couple for which I am eternally grateful”, affirms one of them.
"For me it's very enriching, it has facilitated the connection between people through music", adds his companion Clàudia Bergés.
It has also been enriching for Helena Salazar. “I have had the opportunity to get together with people who are different from me, in living conditions and, despite our differences, form ties and even have friendships. I would've been great. It's been really good. I love music and I have been able to laugh a lot with people”.
“Thanks to this social transformation project I have been able to resume contact with music, one of my passions, in a different and peculiar way that has turned out to be very beautiful”, says another of the students, Àngela Ming. “It has also given me a more humanized perspective of the diversity that surrounds us at the moment, thanks to which I have been able to grow socially and personally, since it has been able to break with the stereotypes imposed by society regarding the group with which we have shared this musical adventure", he adds.
And in the same line, Mireia Chimenos: "I have studied music for many years and until I got involved in this project I did not get a new vision, transforming for me into a universal language that brings us closer to all of us, eluding any difference and uniting in the same goal: to enjoy both the experience and the learning process.
Rosa Majoral, director of Arrels Sant Ignasi, remembers that it all started having a coffee with Toni Tolmos, who had already collaborated with Arrels during his time at A4mans on Tv3 or telematically during the Covid pandemic, the idea was to count on a volunteer of students for whom credits were not the only motivation. She has always believed it important to include music and other activities to motivate users of the entity.
Antoni Tolmos, teacher, pianist, composer and coach specialized in scenic performance, proposed a group activity counting on Lana for her experience in music and social integration. She feels gratitude for having been able to participate. “Knowing that it has helped someone feel better enriches me, we will try to repeat the experience in February”, Tolmos advances.
