The UAE Resilience Project: How teachers from 8 schools came together to pay musical tribute to country amid war

Dubai: "Don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright." The choice of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds with this powerful line as the opening song was deliberate.

Those words also carried the full weight of the moment for the 18 school teachers who had gathered at Dubai's Folklore Theatre the weekend before the ceasefire, many of them meeting in person for the very first time.

While schools across the UAE have been running on distance learning and the region was still facing a war, they came together on stage for their special event: ‘The UAE Resilience Project.’

Born from gratitude

The live musical show organised by GEMS Our Own Indian School (OIS) in Al Quoz, brought together teachers from eight schools across the GEMS Education network for a performance that was as much an act of solidarity as it was of songs.

Streaming live to an online audience from the venue, the event featured performances in English, Tamil, Hindi, Konkani and Tagalog, each teacher (whether teaching music or other subjects) bringing a piece of their own culture to a stage they had probably never imagined sharing.

"This idea was born from an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the leaders of the UAE, who have indeed created a safe haven for all of us during these unprecedented times," said Joe Peter, Head of Performing Arts at GEMS OIS and the driving force behind the project. "In moments when words fall short, music speaks,” he added.

Pipes of Peace

The idea had been quietly taking shape for a while. When the shift to online learning disrupted co-curricular activities, Peter and the OIS Music and Theatre Fraternity responded by producing a remote choral rendition of Sir Paul McCartney's Pipes of Peace.

Rearranged by Immo Schröder, it was performed by the OIS choir, and accompanied by drawings by students hailing the UAE, all as a tribute of gratitude towards the founders and rulers of the country. The response it drew gave Peter a glimpse of what music could do for a wider audience. The UAE Resilience Project was his answer to that question.

WhatsApp group with a mission

What makes the in-person project remarkable is not just what happened on stage, but how it came together behind the scenes, across school boundaries and entirely over WhatsApp.

Peter, who founded the OIS Music and Theatre Fraternity 14 years ago, initially conceived the project as an internal effort. But when invitations went out to Indian schools within the GEMS network, the response was swift and enthusiastic.

Teachers from GEMS Our Own High School (Al Warqa’a), GEMS Modern Academy, GEMS New Millennium School, GEMS Our Own English High School (Al Ain), GEMS Millennium School Sharjah, GEMS Our Own English High School Sharjah Girls, and GEMS Premier Music Academy all signed up.

Most of them had never spoken to each other before. A WhatsApp group became their only meeting room, a space to plan, rehearse logistics, and address each other's concerns, all after teaching their own students remotely from home.

Rehearsals were conducted online. A mock livestream was held the day before the event to iron out technical issues. Only on the evening of the performance on April 4 did the participants finally meet at the venue. They gathered early for a soundcheck before the curtains were raised and cameras went live.

Alumni step in

The project also became a reunion of sorts for the organising school's alumni and student community, who took on critical behind-the-scenes roles. Jehoash Jonah, an alumnus of GEMS OIS, served as sound engineer, overseeing a vetting process for the mp3 tracks submitted by each performer.

Fellow alumnus Nihar Gandhi designed and produced the promotional reels for social media, with support from current students Siddhi Roy and Darshit Moleti. The reels were then shared with all participating schools to build audience ahead of the event.

The venue and production support were sponsored by Events Planet, a production company that provided the technical infrastructure for the live stream.

On stage, finally

The evening opened with the UAE national anthem followed by the GEMS anthem. Written by GEMS Founder and Chairman Sunny Varkey and composed by Joe Peter, the group anthem was performed by school alumna Ashnia Mary Roy.

A recorded address by Michael Guzder, Executive Vice President – Education at GEMS, underscored the spirit behind the initiative. “These have not been easy days," he said. "But here you are, choosing to create, choosing to come together, choosing to bring light when the world seems very heavy…Even in difficult times, light does not disappear. It is created…and tonight, you are that light."

What followed was an evening of solo, duo and trio performances spanning five languages, a keyboard and guitar on hand for those who preferred not to sing to backing tracks, and a room full of educators who had built something meaningful together without ever having shared a staffroom.

"It was heartwarming to see teachers, including some of the exceptional music teachers, across the GEMS network come together so quickly to celebrate the UAE's resilience," said Dr Kapila Pawar, Head of Upper Primary and Middle School at GEMS OIS, who co-anchored the event. "For those few hours, music replaced uncertainty, creating a powerful sense of solidarity and gratitude,” she said.

'The moment to say thank you’

Lorna Gomes, Upper Primary Supervisor, who co-anchored the show and performed the opening song, said: " The moment to say thank you is now…What better way to express this gratitude than through a language that transcends borders and is understood by all—the universal language of music."

Derek Rolston, a Hindi teacher from GEMS Our Own High School, Al Warqaa, who sang in Hindi, said: "Being part of this project felt like singing not just with voices, but with purpose — spreading strength, unity, and hope through every note."

Lalitha Suresh, Principal and CEO of GEMS Our Own Indian School, praised the teachers for what they had pulled off to show their love and gratitude to the country that we call home. "The UAE Resilience Project stands as a shining example of how music can transcend barriers, bringing communities together and offering solace in times of need,” she said.