“Sing to Change” initiative sees children from Boston UK and Boston USA come together to raise vital awareness of climate change.

Since November 2023, children from both sides of the Atlantic, in Boston  Lincolnshire and Boston Massachusetts, have been busy rehearsing a moving  performance of the song ‘Change’ by eco-musician Dane Myers.

These performances, which has been turned into a music video, aim to inspire other  children and youth choirs from across the globe to continue the discussions  amongst young people about climate issues and the need for change.  

The music video will be released worldwide on Friday 22 March 2024 (World Water  Day), when scores and arrangements of the song and educational resources will  be made available for free through the Sing to Change website. There will also  be a private premiere screening of the video on the 21 March 2024 at Kirton  Primary School, Lincolnshire, with a cross-Atlantic link to Chelsea Public School in  the USA – two of the 14 main schools involved in the project. 

Project Lead, Ellie Bowers-Jolley, the Creative Director of the Come and Sing  Company in Norwich, has, among other things, taught the song to schools across  Boston and East Lindsey in the UK.  

Ellie said, “It has been fantastic to be involved with this project and to teach the  song to so many school children across Boston and East Lindsey. The passion and  desire to drive change was really clear behind every child involved, and I’m excited  to see how this project and its resources can inspire more children, schools and  choirs from across the globe to take part and carry on the discussion about  Climate Change.”  

The two Bostons share more than just a name, with both areas having been  affected by heavy rainfall and flooding in recent years. According to data  published by the Environment Agency in 2022, Boston Lincolnshire has the  highest percentage of properties at risk of flooding in England, and the sea levels  of Boston Massachusetts are predicted to rise by three feet or more by the end of  the century.  

The project has seen the collaboration of over 1,500 students across the two areas,  and a documentary following the process of the project, from rehearsals to the  launch of the music video, is set to be released in June 2024. 

For more information on the project, which is supported by the Arts Council  through a National Lottery Project Grant, visit the Sing to Change website where resources will be available for download from 22 March 2024.

View the videos here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tNs_5KyNbc&t=2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tVZr0OS7sw&t=5s