Senior music therapy major Abby Whitmoyer greeted people at the BSC doors with a joyful “happy peace day” and a flyer explaining International Peace Day and the music department’s involvement Sept. 15, 2015. Meanwhile, A group of musicians performed songs with messages about peace and kindness to a growing audience.
”I want them to see it isn’t just another get together and sing event,” Behrens said. “I want them to get a ‘change the world’ mentality out it.”
International Peace Day was established by the United Nations in 1981 to commemorate and support the ideals of peace and as a Day of Global Ceasefire. In 2002, the day was made an official international observance.
Dr. Gene Behrens came back to Elizabethtown College, after a semester-long sabbatical, with the idea to sponsor a Peace Day event. While she abroad, she watched a concert by Freeze 4, who taught the audience his song “the Beauty of the Earth.” He told them that his goal was to travel the world, teaching the song, in hopes of promoting peace. Behrens was able to bring a recording and the sheet music for this song home with her, so Etown students could learn the piece.
The College adopted the tradition in 2008, and since has celebrated every year.
“Arts can bring people together,” Behrens said. “They can create peace.”
The music department took the opportunity to spread peace through the use of their talents and skills. In 2008, at the first Peace Day event held at Etown, the students only sang “Beauty of the Earth,” but each year since, the students have added a song they felt related to peacemaking.
This year’s song was “Everybody Needs Love,” by Ingrid Michaelson. The students rewrote the second verse and arranged the piece for the event. They added this song to a repertoire that included such songs as “Peace Is Flowing Like a River,” “We Shall Overcome,” “This is My Wish,” a mashup of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” and several others.
“I think, right now, even though our world is at the most peace it has ever been at, we still lack tolerance,” junior music therapy major Bethany Wentling said.
Wentling and fellow junior music therapy major Lydia Anthony were in charge of organizing this year’s event. Their responsibilities included coordinating the students and rehearsals, as well as publicizing the event. According to Wentling, the rebranding and marketing of the event was an important goal. Both organizers wanted to attract more people to the celebration.
Having students organize the event has several benefits to the students, according to Behrens. It teaches the music students about organizing an event, arranging songs, learning older music and running rehearsals. As well, it gives them a chance to give back to the College and time to process the meaning of “International Peace Day.”
The script, which was written by the performing students, focused on the concept of inner peace as a building block to global harmony. They included quotes between songs from famous leaders and peacemakers, such as Jane Addams, Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa.
Wentling says she hopes to see this event grow in coming years. She would like to incorporate peace songs from around the world and possibly broadcast to those who cannot watch on campus. The goal is to encourage peacemaking through music and to inspire others to take part.
“Where do we start?” Behrens said. “Within our own interactions, through random acts of kindness, nice greetings and treating people with kindness and support whether we agree or not.”
