Danzón Manifest — Act for Music
Music is not just a subject.
- It is a language.
- A community.
- A profession.
- The heartbeat of culture, identity, and well-being
Across Europe, that heartbeat is fading.
- Qualified music teachers are disappearing from schools faster than new ones can be trained.
- Each year, fewer young people choose to study music teaching.
- Each year, fewer children are introduced to music in their classrooms
It is a downward spiral; one that weakens not only education, but the very foundation of our shared musical life, our cultural identity, our creative abilities, and our sense of community.
And if we do nothing, we will lose more than school concerts and singing lessons. We will lose a generation’s connection to music and with it, the roots of a sustainable music culture and a living creative industry.
We cannot wait for policy to catch up.
We must act now.
Music for, with, and by children
Music must be for children, with children, and by children.
These three elements belong together – always. When children meet music, they must experience it not only as listeners or learners, but as co-creators and participants.
This is not a choice or a project; it is a shared obligation for everyone involved in the musical ecosystem. Schools, music schools, orchestras, ensembles, and concert halls all carry this joint responsibility to ensure that children are invited into the living practice of music at every encounter, not only through isolated events such as school concerts,
but through an integrated and continuous approach in everything we do.
Only when music for, with, and by children is present everywhere and always can music education truly shape imagination, empathy, and belonging.
Our Call
danzón works to reconnect the professional music world with education.
- We build bridges between musicians, schools, and communities.
- We create partnerships that give every child access to music, and every teacher the support they need to make it possible.
Because music education is not an optional extra; it is the soil in which our cultural future grows.
Our Belief
Music is not a luxury.
- It is a human right.
- It teaches empathy, imagination, and belonging.
- When we invest in music in schools, we invest in Europe’s future –
in creativity, identity, and hope.
The time to act is now.
danzón will be among those who do.