The Plugged In Teen Band Program
presents

"I Am Strong If You Are Strong"

A Benefit Concert for the Youth of Zimbabwe
Proceeds will go to the Elias Fund, started by the band Dispatch, to
help all the kids of Section 17 in Zimbabwe receive an education, so
they can return to help their homeland of Zimbabwe (www.eliasfund.org).

Featuring:
The 12 Plugged In teen bands
A teen band from Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Music Legend, Thomas Mapfumo
(www.anonymousweb.com/bio.html)
(see below for more information about Thomas Mapfumo)
....and a special performance by Chad Urmston of Dispatch!

Sunday, January 15th, 2006
1:00-9:00 PM

$20 Adult $15 Students

For more information, please call Sandra at 781-956-4281

Read the Boson Herald Article Click Here

The Plugged In Teen Band Program is a non-profit organization that
teaches youth how to be in rock bands and also, more importantly, about
the importance of giving back to the community. Twice a year, we have
benefit concerts and all the students vote to choose the organization
for which the concert will raise money. Plugged In is about bringing
young people together through music, teaching them the importance of
using their music to make positive change in the world, and helping
them gain self-confidence. Our goal with Plugged In is to have the
charitable aspect of the program be so meaningful for our students that
they will continue using their music to help others throughout their
lives.

Known as the "Lion of Zimbabwe," Thomas Mapfumo has has been giving
voice to the people of his country for over three decades. He came of
age during Zimbabwe's independence movement, and the struggle deeply
influenced his music. His lyrics tackled the injustices of apartheid,
racism and colonialism. His songs of protest, performed in his native
language on traditional instruments, gave birth to a new genre of
music—Chimurenga music (from the Shona word for "struggle").

Mr. Mapfumo's use of music as a form of social justice persisted after
independence, when he continued to address the everyday challenges
faced by Zimbabweans from corruption to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Since
the 1980s, he has been outspoken in his critiques of Robert Mugabe,
Zimbabwe's leader, which has earned him a ban from the country's
airwaves. He has been honored as 1999 Artist of the Year by the
American World Music Awards and was named Zimbabwe's Person of the
Century in the Arts in 2000. Mr. Mapfumo lives in self-imposed exile in
the U.S. with his family and his band, Blacks Unlimited, where they
continue to produce Chimurenga music. To this day in Zimbabwe, his
albums sell out days after they are released.

The day after the concert is Martin Luther King day. Plugged In plans
to bring together the African teen band, the Plugged In students and
Thomas Mapfumo to talk about and play music, talk about their lives,
their views on the world (especially Africa), ideas for bringing about
change and perhaps do some songwriting together. As Thomas Mapfumo has
lived both in Zimbabwe and the U.S., incorporates both traditional and
modern instruments in his band, and has used music as a tool for social
change, he will be able to bring all the students together to create a
truly meaningful experience for all.

SIMUNYE (pictured above), the teen band from Zimbabwe, is part of Music crossroads
Southern Africa (MCSA), a social youth-music empowerment project
organized by Jeunesses Musicales International(JMI). JMI, the largest
global network for youth and music with members and observers in some
70 countries worldwide, is a non-for-profit, non governmental
organization whose mission is to enable young people develop through
music across boundaries. SIMUNYE means “we are one” in the local
Ndebele language. The band is comprised of 6 boys and 3 girls ranging
in age from 12-20. The youths are from diverse backgrounds and
upbringing, combining teenagers from both the high densities as well as
from the leafy surburbs of Harare. The teenagers’ daily occupations
also vary from professional and amateur musicians to primary and
secondary school going youths - and their only common denominator is
their passion for music. Because of the variety of their experiences
and daily lives, the group brings together a rich diversity both in
musical composition and presentation. The genres covered are indeed a
pot-pouri and burning mixture of afro jazz, traditional marimba and
mbira, urban grooves, ragga and classical hip hop. Their messages also
vary from serious life issues like HIV and Aids, family issues, to love
ballads - all unsuspectingly coated in deep traditional, mellow
afro-jazz medleys and technoclassic hip hop dancehall music.

For more information on the Plugged In Teen Band Program, please visit
www.pluggedinband.org or call 781-956-4281.

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