You are viewing an archive of information posted by PeaceQuest Kingston between 2013-2019. For the latest information about the PeaceQuest Leadership and Education Initiative, visit our new website at https://www.peacequest.ca.

Music Resources List

Compiled by Jeff Piker, Music Coordinator – Updated Feb 20, 2017

Note: one addition – the 24-page programme for the Remembrance Day event at the Isabel, 11 Nov. 2016. It is item #7, below.

Split image. Image at right shows a smiling woman posed with a djembe drum in hand. at right shows two men playing a banjo and tuba respectively, surrounded by an audience

LEFT: Yessica Rivera Belsham at the 2016 Hiroshima Day Ceremony RIGHT: Jeff Piker and Andy Rush performing at Remembering for Peace November 2015

Here at PeaceQuest in Kingston, we believe that music can play an important role in our collective efforts for peace and social justice.  The 17 items listed below provide a comprehensive look at how we have made music part of our work.  Each has a brief description and a link to further information.

We divide our work into four streams of activity, which are identified at our website:  Culture, Education, Faith and Policy.  Music has clear relevance for all four streams.

People connect with music in ways they might not connect with other kinds of presentations.  Music is heartfelt.  It can also be incredibly thought-provoking – for learners of all ages.  Plus of course, music is entertaining.

We hope this list will be helpful to your efforts for peace.  Let us know your suggestions about any item(s) on this list and comments about your own experiences using music in peace work.   Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.  Each website item on the list has ‘comment’ space at the bottom, or you can click the ‘contact’ link at our website.  

  1. Songs about peace and war

160 song titles (old and new – from Canada, U.S. and elsewhere – title, composer, date) + eight publications.

View the songlist here

  1. Classical and choral music about peace and war

35 pieces of music (old and new – from many places, including Kingston – title, composer, date, brief notes) + six publications.

View the list here

  1. 7 songs for Remembrance Day

Especially powerful songs about war…and peace (lest we forget) + notes + Youtube links.

View the list here 

  1. ‘Universal Soldier’: a call to disarm

Reflection about the relevance today of this 60’s anthem.  The piece was written at the time of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s recent concert in Kingston (she did sing this song).  Includes song lyrics plus link to a Youtube version.

View the piece here 

  1. Hollerado’s ‘So It Goes’: song and video

The band, Hollerado’s “So It Goes” – a song about life-altering experiences of band member Menno’s grandfather during and right after WW II, while fighting for the Dutch Resistance in German-occupied Holland. Link to a 9-minute Youtube video in which Menno tells the story and Hollerado does the song.  Song lyrics are included.

View the resource here

  1. ‘The World Remembers: An Evening for Peace’ is sold out

Overview (with photos) of a different kind of Remembrance Day event – held Nov. 11, 2016 at The Isabel Bader Centre in Kingston.

View the overview here

7. Programme for ‘The World Remembers’

The 24-page programme provides an excellent picture of what happened at the event. Because of wonderful advertising support from local businesses, the programme was twice its originally planned length, enabling increased space for text and graphics about the event. This is the final (print-ready) version, so it needed to be in two parts.

View part 1 (pp. 1-12) here

View part 2 (pp. 13-24) here

8. Announcing PeaceSong 

Describes a community-based singing project planned and led by Kingston singer-songwriter, Wendy Luella Perkins, in collaboration with Kingston Community Health Centres and PeaceQuest-Kingston. 

View the description here

9. Hands United for Peace

Resources concerning a creative peace education project for grade 4-5 students, delivered in Kingston during the 2015-6 school year by a partnership of a faith community, a public school and a volunteer-based peace group.  Includes a description of the project (with photos of the project in action), a detailed evaluation of the project’s outcomes and an overview of students’ comments about it and what they learned.  Music had a key role in the project.

View the resources here

10. Guest blog: ‘Songs commemorating WW I’ 

Highlights Eric Bogle’s classic song, ‘The Greenfields of France’, and presents its role in a PeaceQuest-Kingston public event held to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Christmas truces in W. W. I.  Includes a video of the performance of the song at the event, plus a link to Bogle’s Youtube version.

View the highlights here

11. ‘Thank you’ to all who attended our ChristmasTruce event

Photos plus video clip of Al Rankin’s marvellous performance of John McCutcheon’s song, ‘Christmas in the trenches’ , at this well-attended event in Dec. 2014.

View the materials here 

12. ‘Everybody Sing for Peace’: Success!

Presents a Sunday afternoon community sing-along at Sydenham St. United Church in Jan. 2015, organized by PeaceQuest-Kingston in partnership with Cantabile Choirs of Kingston.  Provides links to local media coverage of the event, and to two marvellous collections of photos of the event.

View presentation here

13. Conversation with Martyn Joseph (about using music in work for social justice & peace)

Few people anywhere blend music and work for peace and social justice more strongly or effectively than this Welsh singer/songwriter.  Notes taken of a conversation with Martyn the morning after his nearly sold-out concert in Kingston, spring 2015.

View the notes here

14. In memory of a great peace visionary – Pete Seeger: “Tomorrow is a highway”

Lyrics and Youtube link for Pete’s song, ‘Tomorrow is a highway’.  Plus two great photos: one of a young Pete performing at an outdoor folk-music gathering, the other of his banjo.  (Trivia question:  Do you remember what he wrote on his banjo head?)  Posted in Feb. 2014, a month after he died.

View materials here 

15. Martyn Joseph concert fundraiser

Displays promo material for a 2014 Martyn Joseph concert organized by PeaceQuest-Kingston in partnership with Sydenham St. United Church.

View display here

16. Concert: Till the Boys Come Home 2014

Poster for June 2014 concert, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sailing of Canada’s first troops to participate in W. W. I.

 View poster here

17. Shelter: An atomic cartoon opera

 Poster + overview of a 2014 performance of an ‘atomic cartoon opera about a nuclear family adrift in the atomic age.’

View materials here