The Children's Right to Music Project

Now available in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, Vol 12, No 3 (2012) at https://normt.uib.no/index.php/voices/article/view/676/565

Abstract

Sponsored by the Canadian Heritage Human Rights Grants and Contributions Program, the Children's Right to Music Project is an innovative program which increases awareness of the rights of children with disabilities as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and in the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Its focus on the rights of children to music represents a creative approach which moves beyond "mere accommodation" to genuine community engagement; it moves the focus from special education and social welfare to a focus on human rights; it increases an understanding of the implication of these rights as they pertain to children with disabilities' rights to music, music making, and active participation in the community, within the full scope of its social and cultural life; and it increases understanding of, resources for, and skills in making music accessible to children with disabilities.

Introduction

While some inroads have been made, there is still an overall lack of public awareness of the rights of children and of people with disabilities in general terms and in their full scope as they are articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (United Nations, 1990a, 1990b). This is particularly true in educational settings where the focus is on student access to appropriate educational opportunities and services, to the neglect of the overarching nature of human rights, their encompassing of broad social and cultural dimensions, and their direct implication for children with disabilities within the educational environment and beyond. Even where some familiarity exists, efforts are hampered by the lack of skills and resources to implement all of these rights and as a result, children with disabilities in Québec and the rest of Canada are deprived of the practical enjoyment of the full scope of their human rights.

While both the full CRC and the CRPD have broad ramifications concerning the social and cultural dimensions of the rights of children with disabilities, there are some noteworthy articles in each which specifically and clearly address those rights pertinent to the Children's Right to Music project.