"Peace Notes" Series--Resilient Melodies: The Songs of Protest and Collective Action (A Path to Ottawa Event)

Nov 4, 2025 | Environmental Peacebuilding Association's Arts Initiative
online
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As part of the Path to Ottawa series, join the Environmental Peacebuilding Association's Arts Initiative for a series of co-learning sessions about the intersections between environmental peacebuilding, climate justice, and ecological education -- and how music can be a tool and partner in related activism.

Each session will include informal teaching, art sharing, and collaborative brainstorming-- session topics and registration links will be shared in subsequent event postings.

No prior knowledge is necessary, participants can join for just one session or the entire series, and there is no expectation of follow-up: All are welcome to join the discussion!

This virtual event will be held on November 4, 2025 at 5:00 pm EST / 11:00 pm CET.

Session Specifics:

For centuries, humans sang together: to teach, to warn, to celebrate, to mourn. But in recent decades, we've stopped singing collectively as often as we used to. And through habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change, we've quieted Nature's song. But singing is inherently physical - reminding us that we, too, are animals, intimately connected to the Earth and its ecosystems. This Peace Notes session will revisit the practice of collaborative music-making, harmonizing with Nature and each other for interconnected support. 

For many Indigenous Nations around the world, music has been a way to connect with each other, pass on intergenerational knowledge, and even document land tenure. Maintaining traditional art in the midst of colonial violence has both bolstered resistance and been a direct form of protest. In the 1800s, songs were used by communities who were enslaved in the United States to pass on messages about escape strategies and mutual aid, often using nature as an inspiration and navigational guide. Collective singing was then used by the Civil Rights Movement to enhance stamina for those marching while being met with violence and abuse. Our conversation will consider how music has enhanced the resilience, solidarity, and activism of these and other oppressed communities - human and non-human alike.

Registration available here.