Dubai: These young girls and boys sacrifice their weekends for choral practise. For them, though, it’s not just about musical performance but more about making a difference.
The Young Voices of Dubai (YVD), made up of 30 girls and boys aged 6 to 18, are singing for charity for the third year on December 5 to teach children about the reality of child trafficking.
YVD choir director Kay Dennis told Gulf News that this may look like a serious topic for children to sing about but it is one that is more real than most people imagine, and could happen to anyone.
Dennis explained that the idea to make fighting child trafficking the highlight of this year’s concert stemmed from their discussions about the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, which abducted 276 school girls from their dormitory in 2014.
“All of us [parents] were shocked that none of the children knew or understood the implications of child trafficking and other child-related issues,” Dennis said.
But why link it to music? Dennis said that exposing children to these realities through songs helps them learn lessons that they otherwise would not learn inside classrooms.
The choir will sing the song Slavery by First Love, to be followed by a presentation by its partner charity, the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.
“I like being in the choir because it’s not just singing that we do. We also support other causes. It’s something that a young girl like me can do,” Malaika Vaidhya, 13, said.
“Aside from that, I get to make friends with children outside my school and meet people from different religions and schools,” she added.
Malaika has been singing in the choir with her sister Isha, 11, for the past three years. Their mother, Suzanne, has seen a huge improvement since.
“Singing in the choir boosts their confidence. Malaika has always been a keen go-getter. Isha was a little bit shy on stage and was a bit reserved in the beginning. But now, during school productions, she’s already taking front and centre acts,” Suzanne said.
Dr Nisha Soares, whose daughters Rhea, 12, and Sasha, 10, are also in the choir, said her kids are learning about music and social issues at the same time.
“Being in the choir teaches the kids that ...they’re part of a bigger universe and there are causes they can be involved in,” Dr Soares said.
December 5 concert
The concert, Dennis said, would not be all sadness and gloom. The second part of the programme will feature the theme ‘Around the World in Music,’ which is a collaborative effort of a 150-strong cast featuring performances by YVD and members from Aspire Ballet, Crescendo, DFTL Dance Crew, Dubai Drums, among others.
The concert will also feature Christmas songs and popular music from Africa, Russia, Germany, England, France, India, Italy and Latin America.
