, with the mission to bring technology to children of the underdeveloped communities.


Give to Grow’s Founder composer and performing artist Milica Paranosic has been teaching music technology at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City for fifteen years. Throughout her career, Milica has worked with and taught some of the most talented artists from around the world. In summer of 2009 she put years of her teaching experience and passion for education towards a new mission: she went to Kopeyia, a small village in Ghana.


Inspired by the rich culture but  extremely challenging conditions of the village’s  only school, she launched a music technology program at the school, using her own laptop and the school’s single power plug. Milica saw the opportunity to help the community preserve and promote their own culture through the use of technology and public performance.    

  

In June 2009, Milica self-funded her first trip to Ghana, where she volunteered as a teacher in Kopeyia while also studying African drumming.
The one-month residency quickly turned into a life-changing experience with a long-term mission. Milica called it: Give to Grow.

Give to Grow aims to establish a semester-long course in computer literacy and music technology and launch a performance series that showcases the work of students and artists from the community.

With a community of well-educated and motivated people, Kopeyia can challenge their own socio-economic problems and secure a better way of life.


“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.”
George Washington Carver


From humble beginnings that involved one laptop, a vision, and an enormously enthusiastic response from the pupils and residents of Kopeyia, Give to Grow has managed, in just one year, to create a music technology and computer lab in Kopeyia Bloomfield Basic School, to offer two one-month workshop classes in computer use and music technology in the school, and to produce two interdisciplinary performances that featured works of pupils, Kopeyia residents and international guest artists. Give to Grow is fast gaining recognition and causing curiosity and enthusiasm locally and internationally.

The computer lab is now equipped with six laptops operating current industry-standard software: MS office; Apple: Garage Band, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, and Keynote; Ableton: Live and Morton Subotnick’s: Playing Music, Hearing music and Making music -  music software for the young users. Give to Grow also donated a color printer, a digital camera and a variety of office supplies and computer accessories.

Computer Lab Sign, by Fafali Agbeli

Planting the seed – Phase one

• May 27 2009 - Milica goes to Ghana to explore African culture and teach English at the Kopeyia Bloomfield School.
• June 6 2009- Milica sets up a pilot music technology program, using the single power plug in the school, her Mac PowerBook, and a portable digital recorder.
• June 19 2009 - Milica produces AFRICA MY HOME Collaborative Interdisciplinary Performance Project.
  Growing - Phase two
  
• August 2009 – Milica hosts Give to Grow Thank you event, which marks a beginning of phase two fund-raising 
• November 2009 – Give to Grow receives its first computer donation, a remarkably generous gift of three Apple PowerBooks!
• January 2010 – Arts Electric features Give to Grow
• February 2010 – Milica’s Article about Give to Grow gets published in Juilliard Journal
• March 2010 – AKPE! Multimedia Performance Piece inspired by Ghana, Ewe culture and Give to Grow, commissioned for the opening of a new state of the Art Multimedia Theater at Lincoln center receives its premier followed by two sold out performances.
• June 10 2010 – Give to Grow receives sponsorships from The Sandbook Studio, which enables her to travel to Kopeyia and begins phase two.
• June 12 2010 – Belgrade’s (Serbia) biggest daily paper publishes a story about Give to Grow
• June 29 – Milica travels to Kopeyia with total of six laptops
• July 1 - 28 – Milica sets up the lab, introduces Garage Band, Ableton Live, iPhoto and iMovie and Keynote to students and the computer teacher Emmanuel Zagbede. She introduces several pupils to Internet and email.
• July 28 - June 19 2009 - Milica produces AFRICA MY HOME, Part 2 – Give to Grow Collaborative Interdisciplinary Performance
  Keep Growing – Phase three  (Looking ahead)
• Phases one and two were a successful yet brief introduction to the possibilities ahead for Give to Grow and the Kopeyia community to work together and explore their creative potential. Give to Grow intends to return for a full term, during which it will:
• Design a full-semester long music technology program.
• Improve the music technology lab and computer lab
• Establish a practice of presenting a public performance at the end of each term
• Facilitate Internet access for the children of Kopeyia, so that they can share and promote their work beyond their own village
• Tutor local teachers at the Kopeyia Bloomfield School so that they can continue to teach Logic and Garage Band after her residency…
  And Growing  - Phase 4  (Looking further ahead…)
  

  G2G’s greater mission is to replicate the Kopeyia model in other rural areas in Africa and globally

About:

Electronic Music Foundation, Give to Grow Fiscal Sponsor

Electronic Music Foundation, a New York-based not-for-profit arts organization, produces concerts, festivals, and other events in New York City and elsewhere, provides services for artists, and maintains a worldwide network of EMF Subscribers through which we circulate information, distribute materials, and collaborate with colleagues on international projects

§  More at: http://www. EMF.org /

The Sandbook Studio, Give to Grow Sponsor 2009

The Sandbook Studio is a digital media design and production service centered around the creative and technical work of Eric Somers, a media artist for over 40 years.

§  More at: http://sandbookstudio.com/

Power Of Muze, Partner

Power Of Muze conducts music-related activities in order to promote human security under the theme of “the Power of Muze.” The concept of muze originates in Greek mythology. Muse, goddesses or spirits, was considered to be the source of inspiration and knowledge for such artistic forms as music, poetry and literature. Through “Power of Muze”, we promote the public awareness of human security and call the general public for more active participation in the global efforts to achieve “human security for all.”

§  More at: http://www.humansecurity.or.jp/english/muze/index.html

Milica Paranosic

A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Milica Paranosic moved to New York in 1994 to pursue her career. She earned her Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School in 1995 and has been teaching music technology ever since her graduation.

Recipient of many honors and awards, she lives in New York City as an active composer, performing artist, producer and educator.

A humanitarian by nature, Milica feels a moral obligation to share her skills with those less privileged.

Milica strongly believes that everyone deserves an equal opportunity. In this digital age where technology is easily and readily available to some, those who are economically disadvantaged have no access to it. For this reason alone, they may never have the opportunity to explore their full potential, share and preserve their cultural heritage and experience success in the world of music and art.

Arts-electric Article about Give to Grow
http://www.arts-electric.org/stories/100101_paranosic.html

Milica’s Article about Give to Grow in the Juilliard Journal
http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/2009-2010/1003/articles/forum.html

Give to Grow FaceBook Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-to-Grow/119680858072254?ref=ts

Africa My Home part 1 Performance Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YPS7-fZdPs.

An article in Belgrade’s ‘Politika’
http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Kultura/Kofi-nikada-ne-place.lt.html

Give to Grow Blog
http://milicagoestoghana.blogspot.com/

Africa My Home part 2 Performance Film, closing Speech, Mr. Sam Tumaku
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autNr_qIOvQ

”I never knew your work could push us to this level. You brought a great change to Kopeyia Bloomfield Basic School. We miss you so much and people keep asking me when is your next visit. We need you back for our brighter future. We pray that you get more sponsors to assist you to come back and continue from where we have gotten.” Emmanuel Agbeli, Chairman of the School Management Committee

"Give to Grow is one of the best examples I've seen of how technology can bring creativity and education together. Milica has done a fabulous job in Kopeyia, and we'd like to see it grow to become a worldwide program.’  Joel Chadabe, President, Electronic Music Foundation

“We don’t even know how to express our gratitude. It is our  prayer that you continue to visit us.” Evans Garr, Headmaster, Kopeyia Bloomfield Basic School