By TOMAS URIBE, 3/25/2014. Summer is slowly approaching, and little by little India is becoming a reality. India, its culture, its music, and its people have been in the back of my mind for quite some time now. I’ve had wonderful conversations with people who express their admiration and broad array of cultural elements in India. This has helped direct and focus my investigation a little more as well. Many of the preparation steps I’ve taken have been towards creating a constant communication link with the main organization I will be focusing my research on. Even though I initially wanted to document and research in Delhi and Mumbai, careful consideration (and time constraints) led me to the conclusion that staying in Mumbai would be best.
My research will be concentrated on the community-based organization Mewsic, founded by cricket legend Brett Lee. This organization helps at-risk youth to get off the streets and carry on with healthy lifestyles through music and empowerment. Elise Collins, Head of Programs and Communications at Mewsic has been very collaborative with the entire process, and has even suggested have one of their interns help gathering preliminary information for the research and documentary project. Having Mumbai as the focus city to conduct the investigation will only enhance the overall outcome of the project. It holds many contrasts, both socially and culturally, and in the music and arts fields, it has funded major developments. My documentary will focus on the efforts done by Executive Director and Founder of Innovaid, Emily Harrison, along with the rest of the Mewsic Staff, and depict the changes and impact this program and musical content has had in the lives of the children who participate. The cultural connotations of Mumbai, its music and day-to-day activities will hopefully show another perspective of a developing country and eventually serve as an example for other communities that wish to help children through arts and music. My background and experience in youth music teaching and documentary making will come in handy when doing this project. The more I research about the city and the culture, along with Mewsic’s efforts and programs (like a music bus that goes to the slums and teaches music to underprivileged children), the more questions rise. India is a very attractive country, but I’m particularly interested in getting to know the music, the people, and their food. It will definitely be a great and unique experience. I’m planning on taking my camera (550D) and probably another portable camera (either GoPro or Brinno) along with my portable audio recorder (Zoom H4N) to have additional footage. I’m still planning on how to keep an updated log both visual and textual in relation to my experiences; everything will be eventually hosted in the documentary website with different multimedia pieces (which not necessarily have to be included in the documentary).